In 1841, Dr. Camphbell brought China tea seeds from Kumaon Hills and planted them in his garden.

The success of the initial efforts led the government to go for commercial development of tea gardens.

Tea estates, with seeds from government nurseries, were developed at Tukvar, Steinthal and Aloobari.

The tea plantations cover 1,069.64 acres (432.87 ha) spread over from an altitude of 3,500 to 6,000 feet (1,100 to 1,800 m) above mean sea level.

It exports tea to Japan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Dubai, European countries, USA and Canada.