Doke

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Doke white tea

In 1991, when global tea production was less then consumption, Indian government through Tea Board declared Surjapur area of Kishangunj district of Purnia commissionary of Bihar province, as non traditional tea growing area and encouraged local cultivators to grow tea on their marginal soils unfit for local traditional rice and jute crops, by making self - help groups and establishing government co-operative tea processing factory in Pothia block in 2005.

In the meanwhile farmers perfected the art of making hand made artisan white teas by harvesting the super fine tips and drying them to retain the sparkling white silverlike appearance, which is the prize commodity. Some tea experts have termed white tea as the Rolls Royce of tea industry.

In all about 25,000 acres or about 10,000 hectares tea have been planted in this region and directly or indirectly about 50,000 workmen are engaged in this industry.

Doke is in fact the name of the river which passes through this area and drains this too. This river takes its rise in the Baikunthpur forest area of Siliguri sub - division of Darjeeling district of West Bengal province and after flowing through another new area of North Dinajpur, which was part of ancient Surjapur kingdown, this river empties itself into Mahananda, ultimately falling into Ganges.

Two Leaves & a Bud

Tea Fields