Purnia Araria Kishanganj Seemanchal Jute Tea Belt

Purnia, Araria, and Kishanganj districts in Bihar's Seemanchal region (bordering Bengal and Nepal) form a distinct agro-ecological zone where the sub-Himalayan climate and high rainfall (1400-1800mm) support jute cultivation, pineapple farming, and — uniquely for Bihar — tea gardens in Kishanganj district that produce CTC tea on the Terai's acidic soils. Kishanganj's small tea gardens established in the 1990s now cover 3,000+ hectares and are processed at local CTC factories, making Bihar a minor tea producer alongside Assam and Darjeeling in the northeastern tea belt. Purnia district historically was the capital of a Mughal jagir and later a colonial administrative division, and its jute market at Purnia town supplied jute mills in Kolkata through the colonial economy.