Indian Tea Association (ITA) Seeks Ban On Tea Estates (TE) Expansion

GUWAHATI: A day after a specialty tea created history by fetching Rs 70,501 a kg, the Indian Tea Association (ITA) here on Thursday appealed the government to ban expansion of tea estates (TE) in five areas and pay provident fund (PF) contributions of workers for three years.

Stating that the tea industry is in crisis, the ITA said viability of the sector was critical for job security of over million workers. While the average selling price had remained static, the production cost was increasing, causing losses to tea producers, it said.

“The PF contribution by the government for three years will provide immediate relief, besides releasing substantial fund for generic promotion of tea,” the Indian Tea Association said. It also demanded minimum reserve price for tea at auction based on cost of production.

It has barely been 24 hours since the record-breaking auction of Manohari Gold Tea at Rs 50,000 per kg and another world record is created at the same venue Guwahati Tea Auction Centre. In the new record on a new day, Gold tips from Maijan Tea Estate of Assam Company India Limited were sold for Rs 70501 per kg on Wednesday morning in sale no 31 at GTAC.

Mundhra tea Company of Guwahati purchased the tea from the Maijan Tea Estate which will be shared between Steven Plaizier from Belgium and an online tea store based in Guwahati- Namah Marketing.

This is to be noted that the Maijan Tea Estate had made only two kilograms of the Gold tips tea this year and sold at such a record-breaking high price. (IANS)

Also Read: Wage Payment Through Bank Not Possible: Indian Tea Association (ITA)