Tripura: Tea Trading To Improve With Launch of New Tea Auction Centre

Sentinel Digital Desk

Published:14th Mar, 2024 at 1:04 PM

AGARTALA: In a significant development, the tea industry in Tripura is poised for a major change with the inauguration of the Tea Auction Center in Agartala.

Tripura is set to become the second state in India to have its own Tea Auction Center.

This strategic step is expected to bring in a new era for high-quality tea from Tripura is marketed and distributed. Tripura, which produces around 9 million kilograms of tea annually, ranks as the fifth largest tea producer in India.

Chairperson of Tripura Tea Development Center, Samir Ranjan Ghosh, said that the Tea E-Auction Center in Tripura will be launched on Thursday and is to be inaugurated by Chief Minister Manik Saha.

He added that the tea history in Tripura dates back to 100 years and there was no standard procedure for assessing tea quality in these previous years.

After the new government in 2018, an initiative was launched to develop the tea industry, Ghosh said.

In Tripura, about 9 million kilograms of processed tea are produced annually, which makes Tripura the fifth-largest tea producer in the country following Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.

More than half of the tea produced is sold through the Kolkata and Guwahati tea auction centers while the rest is sold in private markets and locally.

Chairperson Ghosh said, “To support this industry, the Tripura Tea Development Corporation Ltd has taken steps to set up a tea e-auction center in Agartala.”

Earlier on January, NITI Aayog approved the establishment of the state's inaugural Tea Auction Centre. The pivotal announcement unfolded during the inaugural review session of the Tripura Institution for Transformation (TIFT).

During the session, Chief Minister Dr. Saha directed officials to set up the Tea Auction Centre at Durgabari Tea Estate, strategically located in Bamutia within West Tripura District. Emphasizing the paramount importance of timely and quality-driven execution, he scrutinized various projects aimed at the comprehensive development and public welfare of the state.