ILAM: Ilam will be hosting the ‘First Suryodaya Tea Festival-2083’ on November 21-22.
The festival to be jointly organised by the Suryodaya Municipality, Koshi Province government and the Tourism Development Project, features various segments like ‘tea trail race’, ‘dialogues on tea’, ‘tea promotion and tasting’, ‘tea garden trail trekking’, ‘local food and culinary exhibition’ and cultural processions. Preparations for the event have been intensified, it is said.
According to organizing committee’s member secretary Pema Ugen Lama, an interaction on ‘Coping with Climate Change: Sustainable Tea Farming and Protection of Tea Farmers’ will be attended by a federal lawmakers, a secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, forest and Environment and local people’s representatives.
Under the men’s category, a 12.5 kilometre tea trail race will be organised, awarding the first with a cash prize of Rs 30,000, second with a cash prize of Rs 20,000 and the third with a cash prize of Rs 10,000.
The race under women’s category stretches to nine kilometres, with awarding Rs 20,000 for the first prize, Rs 10,000 for the second and Rs 5,000 for the third.
The festival is expected to attract around 10,000 people from the country and abroad. Promoting tea tourism and showcasing the tea trail which is currently under construction in Suryodaya Municipality are the objective of the festival, according to Lama. It is estimated to cost Rs 1.5 million rupees to organise the festival.
A 25.5 kilometre tea trail is being constructed under the trail-based tourism project. The trial will connect Kanyam at ward 7 of Suryodaya Municipality with Shri Antu at ward 5.
