Arsla, a new brand of organic tea, was launched here on Saturday, adding another feather to Meghalaya’s cap as far as bringing areas under organic tea cultivation is concerned.

Meghalaya additional chief secretary, K.N. Kumar, who is also the production commissioner, launched the tea at a programme here, which coincided with World Tea Day.

Arsla (two leaves), is being produced in Ri Bhoi district by the Arsla Organic Tea Growers and Producers Cooperative Society. The firm has its tea factory at Umsning and production began in October this year . The firm is expected to produce nearly 40 tonnes of organic tea annually.

The firm has 38 tea growers who cultivate Arsla organic tea on 75 hectares in the district.

The firm produced two types of organic tea — black orthodox and green tea, priced at Rs 800 and Rs 1,000 a kg respectively.

Co-promoter of Arsla tea, K.W. Chyne, said tea cultivation was started in 2003-2004 by a few tea growers with the support of the Tea Development Centre. The centre advised them to go for organic tea plantation from 2010-2011 onwards, after which the firm was set up in 2013. It applied for group organic certification of Arsla tea the same year.

Meghalaya assistant director (horticulture) and officer-on-special duty of the directorate of food processing, Maqbool L. Suiam, who was present at the function, said the first group organic certification was done for organic tea produced in the Mawlyngot area in East Khasi Hills district and Umsning in Ri Bhoi district in 2009-2010.

“Apart from Arsla tea, we have four branches of organic tea which include Urlong, Meg, Denmar and Lakyrsiew tea,” Suiam said.

Mawlyngot has around 50 hectares under organic tea cultivation and the whole state now has around 150 hectares of land under organic tea cultivation.

Ri Bhoi district alone has around 600 tea farmers, and the whole state has around 1,500 farmers. The total area of tea cultivation in the state is around 2,000 hectares.