• A genome study project initiated by the Tea Board of India, to establish the origins and speciality of Indian teas, has now reached an advanced stage.
• The study is being conducted on Assam teas to establish it as a product of India. 
• Research will unravel the specialities of Assam teas.

Partner institutes

• There are six partner institutes in this project.
• The list includes the New Delhibased National Tea Research Foundation and ICARNational esearch Centre for Plant Bio Technology, CSIRInstitute of Himalayan Bio Resource Technology Palampur Himachal Pradesh, Tea Research Institute, Jorhat (under TRA), UPASI, Coimbatore, and Darjeeling Tea Development Centrein Kurseong, Darjeeling.
• The study, which will establish Camelia assamica as an indigenous Indian variety, comes amid reports of a neighbouring country’s efforts to establish Darjeeling tea as a variety that is their own. 

Assam Tea:

• Assam tea is worldwide famous full-bodied tea with robust flavor produced in the state of Assam in India. It is the largest tea producing area in India, making up to more than 50% of all tea production in the country. Try imagining fields of 304 thousand hectares covered by tea bushes. You probably got the picture.
• Assam tea has a long history of almost two hundred years. When British decided to plant their own tea in India, they probably didn't have in mind Assam will grow into enormous tea production state.
• First, they brought tea from China only to discover a wild plant was already growing there and had a huge potential for further deployment. Assam's tropical monsoon climate makes a perfect weather environment for a tea production.