Tripura: State plans for tea auction centres

AGARTALA, July 15, 2018: To reduce dependence on auction centers in Guwahati and Calcutta in a bid, the Tripura Tea Development Corporation is planning to start its own auction centres

Over 35 millions kg of tea is produce by the state annually, most of which is sent to Assam and Bengal for auction trading.

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On Saturday, Corporation chairperson Santosh Saha said that he assumed charge on July 4 and made a host of decisions in the first meeting of the new board of directors. "We will try to turn the corporation into a profit-making public sector undertaking. We will also create a brand for Tripura tea, which will compete with Assam tea and other brands," he said.

He said around 50,000 people are directly or indirectly dependent on the tea industry. However, the socio-economic status of workers is very low and the corporation will work to develop their condition, he added.

Of the 58 tea gardens operating in Tripura, the corporation runs only three – at Kamalasagar and Brahmakunda in West Tripura and another at Maachmara in North Tripura. Apart from this, 42 are individually owned tea gardens and 13 are run by cooperative societies. Nearly 3,000 small tea growers also operate in the state. According to reports, 6,885 hectares is under tea cultivation in the state.

After processing, around 88 lakh kg made tea is generated annually in several processing plants.

The Hiracherra tea estate in present Unakoti district was the first garden set up in the state in 1916.

Recently, Tea Board of India assistant director (tea development) Diganta Barman said that efforts were being made to turn the industry into a profit-making sector. He said work was being done to choose a logo for Tripura tea.

Source: The Telegraph

Featured image: TRIPURAINFOWAY