352

CHAPTER. XIX,
in India, the seed had to be imported from China. Once it was discovered
that the tea plant was indigenous to Assam, the future of the industry
was assured. The earlier efforts to grow tea in that province were marked
by many failures, but from 1859 there followed a period of speculation
which continued until a severe crisis in 1866. From this the industry
emerged on a much sounder foundation and its subsequent history in
Assam and Bengal has been one of fairly steady expansion. The figures
below show the growth of the industry in British India from 1875 on-
wards :-—

1875-1879 (average) .
1880-1884 (average) .
1885-1889 (average)
1900-1904 (average)
910

915

920

925

926

927

928

090

Year,

Area under
Tea in 000 acres.

73
2]
307
IN

2
"
3.
Tne
-

Production in
000,000 1bs.

cd

57

90
195
249
352
322
335
364
361
372
401
[ndia is now the largest tea-exporting country in the world, and it is
estimated that it supplies about 40% of the world demand for
this commodity. We give figures showing the value of the exports of tea
during the last four years and the percentage it bears to the value of the
total exports from India. These figures include tea grown in Indian
States.

1026-27  ..
1927-28 ..
928.29  ..
1929.30

Year

’
se

Amount export-
ed (million lhs,).

349
362
360
977

Value in lakhs,

Sum shown in
Col 3 as 9,
of value of total

exports.

29,04 9
32,48 10
26,60 8
26,01 8

Coffee.
The coffee industry began in 1830 When the first planta-
tion was started in Mysore, but its cultivation is believed to have
been introduced into India from Mecca as early as the 16th cen-
bury. From Mysore the cultivation of this crop spread rapidly to
Coorg, the Nilgiris, the Wynaad, the Shevaroy Hills and Travancore.
By 1862 the industry reached its zenith ; three years later the borer
beetle and the leaf blight which followed affected it seriously. As a