The tea plantation industry in the Peerumade hills of Idukki in Kerala has reached a historic milestone, marking 150 years since its first recorded commercial cultivation in 1875.
| Photo Credit: JOMON PAMPAVALLEY
The tea plantation industry in the Peerumade hills of Idukki in Kerala has reached a historic milestone, marking 150 years since its first recorded commercial cultivation in 1875. Interestingly, it was the first establishment of a commercial tea plantation in Kerala.
The book Above Heron’s Pool by Heather Lovatt and Peter de Jong traces the origins of tea planting in Peerumade, noting that the first recorded cultivation took place on Penshurst Estate, where F.M. Parker opened 25 acres for tea in 1875. It further mentions that by 1882, parts of Fairfield Estate were also planted with tea. Initially, the clearings were cultivated with China tea plants.
The tea plantation industry in the Peerumade hills of Idukki has reached a historic milestone, marking 150 years since its first recorded commercial cultivation in 1875
| Photo Credit:
JOMON PAMPAVALLEY
Penshurst Estate, named after a historic village in England, remains operational even after 150 years. Now managed by Malankara Plantations, the estate continues to thrive on the Elappara-Wagamon route in Idukki.
According to J.K. Thomas, managing director of Malankara Plantations, a portion of the original China tea plant seedlings planted by F.M. Parker has been preserved within the estate. “While most areas have been replanted, we have maintained a section of the original tea plants to study their longevity and productivity over the years. The yield of the plants has not increased on decreased in the past 100 years. It also serves as a historic marker,” he said.
During the 2023-24 financial year, Penshurst Estate was ranked first in South India for tea productivity per hectare, yielding 4,735 kg per hectare.
The historical records, meanwhile, also add another layer to Peerumade’s tea legacy. The Travancore State Manual, published in 1906, mentions that tea, coffee, and cinchona were experimented with as early as 1864 in the Government Garden at Peerumade. The United Planters’ Association of Southern India (UPASI), in its centennial publication (1853-1953), too has acknowledged the early developments of tea plantations in the region.
Peerumade’s journey with plantation crops began with coffee when J.D. Munro established the first coffee estate on Hope Estate in 1862. However, by 1875, a leaf disease devastated coffee crops, much like what happened in then Ceylon (Sri Lanka), forcing plantation owners to switch from coffee to tea – a move that laid the foundation for Kerala’s thriving tea industry today.
At this 150-year milestone, S. Soundararajan, director of Tea Development, Tea Board of India, emphasised the need for innovation and adaptation to sustain the industry. “To remain competitive in a global market, tea estates must diversify products, adopt modern replanting strategies, and embrace new marketing techniques. Failure to do so could threaten the industry’s future,” he warned.
Threat of climate change
R. Samraj, chairman of the Central Travancore Planters Association (CTPA), identified climate change as the biggest challenge facing the tea industry today. “Earlier, the district received rainfall throughout the year, but now we face drought for nearly 120 days annually. Tea estates, once seen as valuable assets, now struggle with sustainability. The key to survival lies in crop diversification and integrating tourism into plantation operations,” he said.
Published – March 04, 2025 12:07 pm IST