Tripura Govt aims to launch tea auction centre by next season

Agartala, Dec 14: Tripura Minister of Industries and Commerce Santana Chakma on Friday said that the state government is keen on making the first tea auction centre operational by the next season, as it would reduce transportation costs and dispatch time.

The Industries and Commerce Department held its first tea buyers-sellers' meet at a private hotel here, which was attended by representatives of the Tea Board of India, the Tea Association of India, and the Indian Auction Association.

Speaking on the occasion, the minister said, "A meeting of this kind is being held in Tripura for the first time. Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha is interested in setting up a tea auction centre in the state.

If it becomes operational, transportation costs will come down and the time to dispatch goods to the national market will shorten, she added.

She added that all stakeholders would have to work collectively to introduce Tripura tea in the national arena.

"Now, we sell 50 percent of our teas in local markets and the rest in Kolkata and Guwahati. So, if we can auction our teas here, we can derive a lot of benefits. I also urge the investors to visit our state and become a partner here," Chakma added.

The chairman of the Tripura Tea Development Corporation, Samir Ghosh, said, "We send our teas to Kolkata and Guwahati for auctioning but do not get any priority. So, if our auction centre is opened here, we will be able to bargain". Sumanta Poddar of the India Tea Association asserted that Tripura tea is produced with a minimal range of pesticides.

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