India's Tea Industry

India is one of the world's largest producers and consumers of tea. Assam and West Bengal together account for the bulk of India's tea production — Assam for volume, and Darjeeling in West Bengal for premium varieties. The plantation industry employs over one million workers nationally, making it one of the largest organised rural employers. Tea workers are among the lowest-paid in the organised sector, with wages historically suppressed due to the plantation system's geographic isolation, monopsony labour markets, and weak bargaining power. North Bengal's tea gardens employ large numbers of migrant and indigenous communities who depend on estates not just for wages but for housing, healthcare, and schooling provided on-estate.