It was a very cold Saturday morning of this winter, I was sitting in my terrace having my breakfast which consisted of a slice of bread with butter and a cup of tea. The weather was a tad windy with the cool air refreshing my face from time to time, my hand was nearly frozen. I was too lazy to go and put on my pullover or maybe I just wanted to take a deep breath of the cool fresh air; the freezing chill in the air and the coldness upon my face was so refreshing and brought warmth to my heart at that very moment. All I could do, was put the palms of my hands around the hot cup as I saw the vapour coming out of it smelling so nice.
From where I was sitting, I could hardly see at a distance as it was still foggy, and the mist covered the whole of the tea plantation. But I knew that soon the timid ray of the sun will appear bringing a beautiful scene of the plantation, such has been the beauty of the tea villages. I lifted my head into the wind with my eyes open for this gentle light of the day.
Memories of the past
As I took the first sip from my cup of tea, for some reason my mind started wandering back to memories of my childhood helping my late mother, Satibhama, in the tea field. It was an epoch when children from tea villages were usually expected to assist their parents in the plucking of tea leaves before attending their secondary classes. It was difficult for me to spend the early two hours every morning in the tea field; the plantation was always very wet with morning dew and the soil muddy. Tea plucking was very tough for me at that age, beside the muscular pain and fatigue, it hurt my fingers so badly that I could hardly bear it. However, our family depended entirely on tea for our income and every one of us had to work to sustain our livelihoods.
From field to cup
Tea is the oldest beverage, and it remains the second most widely consumed drink in the world after water. It has a lots of health benefits and wellness, and it also has a cultural significance in our society. I can hardly imagine how a day will be without my morning tea. To me, a good cup of tea is like a morning ritual which relaxes your mind, warms your heart, and stimulates to uplift the mood.
Tea was first consumed in China some 5,000 years ago and it later spread throughout the world. At some time in history, tea in England was so expensive that only the elite could afford it.
The tea industry has more than 250 years of history in Mauritius and presently there are only four privately owned factories in operation, namely Bois Chéri, Corson, La Flora and La Chartreuse. Tea cultivation is a highly labour-intensive sector providing employment and income to hundreds of smallholder planters especially in the economically disadvantaged areas. Tea has played a significant role in rural development. While for some planters, tea cultivation may still constitute the main source of livelihoods, for others it is an important supplement to their family budget.
International Tea Day
The United Nations has proclaimed 21 May as International Tea Day. Its aim is to raise awareness of the long history and the deep cultural and economic significance of tea cultivation in the world.
In Mauritius over the past two decades, the area under tea cultivation as well as the production level has been decreasing. On the one hand, there is a shortage of workers in the fields while on the other hand, the revenue from tea cultivation is not sustainable despite government effort to give some incentives from time to time. On this International Tea Day, it would be good to raise public appreciation of the importance of tea for our rural development and the importance to improve the tea value chain.
Generally, tea plants live very long, perhaps hundreds of years, but the recent heavy rain and accumulation of water have badly affected tea plantation. Thus, climate change may affect the production yields and tea quality which in turn may lower incomes of small tea planters.
For generations, tea has been consumed for far more than just satisfying our thirst. Around the island people drink it to relax, refresh and relieve, and it’s something we need now more than ever. As a tea lover, I have the sentiment that a refreshing cup of tea makes everything look better and I agree with Muriel Barbery who said, ‘When tea becomes ritual, it takes its place at the heart of our ability to see greatness in small things.’ Thus, tea will be your ideal beverage for this winter, keeping you warm, refreshing your body, revitalizing your mind, and hopefully helping you to avoid going to the pharmacy.
* Raj Khooblall was the former Director of Finance at SADC Parliamentary Forum. He has worked for more than 17 years across various African countries and has published various articles on business opportunities in Africa. He is presently working on a Swedish/SADC project in the SADC Region.