Tea Production in Papua and New Guinea.

Abstract

The possibility of commercial tea production was first envisaged in 1939 when the Highlands Agricultural Experiment Station was established at Aiyura. The Highlands in New Guinea were not at that time open to private settlement. A limited quantity of seed was imported from Sarawak and from this eighty- eight seedlings were obtained. These were planted out and from them thirteen bushes were later selected as seed bearers and allowed to develop. The remainder of the plot was kept cut back to a plucking table. From the seed produced, four acres of plucking tea was planted on the Station between 1947 and 1949 at an altitude of 6,000 feet.