Oothu Tea Estate, Manjolai Hills
The Tea
Plantations and the whole of Manjolai Estates are operated by the Bombay Burmah
Trading Corporation Ltd on Forest Lands leased by the Government of Tamilnadu.
There are 3 Tea Estates within the Manjolai area - Manjolai Estate, Manimuthar
Estate & Oothu Estate. The Estates are located on elevations ranging
between 2300 Feet to 4200 Feet. The estates, road & the settlements in the
Manjolai area are managed by the Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation Ltd. Oothu
Tea Estate is one of Bombay Burmah’s Singampatty group of estates, began with
the lease of 8,500 acres from the Rajah of Singampatty.
In the
end, only 3,000 acres were cultivated, and the Oothu garden comprises just a
little more than 526 acres nestled at the foot of the Western Ghats. The
rest of the land is a buffer zone between Oothu and its sister tea gardens:
Manjolai and Manimuthar and their biggest neighbor, the Kalakad Mundanthurai Wildlife
Sanctuary, including a green belt
that helps animals cross from one part of the jungle preserve to another
without venturing into the tea.
Founded
in 1929, and situated near southernmost tip of India, Oothu originally grew
cardamom, cinchona, and some coffee but transitioned to tea between 1960 and
1973, giving Oothu’s plants a current average age of 45. Oothu lies at
3,500-4,000 ft. above sea level and produces between 16,000 and 17,000 kg
(35,250-37,500 lbs.) per hectare. Oothu Tea Estate is located at about 5 Kms
from Nalumukku, 18 Kms from Manjolai and 40 Kms from Manimuthar.
