Agartala, Oct 29 Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Thursday inaugurated the Agartala Tea Auction Centre (ATAC), saying the facility would help tea growers secure better prices and expand their access to domestic and international markets.
Addressing the programme, Saha said setting up the region’s second tea auction centre in Tripura reflected the government’s commitment to developing the sector.
“Despite being a promising sector, the tea industry did not receive the necessary attention from the previous government, even though thousands of people are associated with it. Today’s event will be written in golden words in the state’s tea history,” he said.
Tripura produces around 90 lakh kg of finished tea annually, making it the second-largest tea-producing state in the Northeast after Assam and the fifth-largest in the country. The state has 52 tea estates.
Saha said planters, who previously incurred additional transportation costs to send their produce to auction centres in Kolkata and Guwahati, would now be able to sell their tea at ATAC.
“Tea planters have complained that they do not get reasonable prices at auction centres in Kolkata and Guwahati despite producing quality tea. This obstacle has been removed with the inauguration of the tea auction centre here. It gives them a level playing field,” he said.
The Tripura Tea Development Corporation (TTDC) has decided to provide transport subsidies of Rs 4 per kg for tea sent to Kolkata and Rs 3 per kg for consignments sent to Guwahati from its own funds to attract potential buyers, the chief minister said.
The move is expected to draw tea traders from across the country to the new auction centre, he said, adding that an online portal had been developed to facilitate auctions.
“Through e-auctions, tea growers in the state will get access to national and international buyers,” Saha said.
Thanking the Tea Board of India for supporting the state’s efforts to establish the auction centre, he said the government would continue to assist tea growers and focus on branding Tripura tea to improve its access to larger markets.
Industries and Commerce Minister Santana Chakma, department secretary Kiran Gitte and Tea Board of India executive director at its Northeast Zonal Office, Arunita Phukan Yadav, were among those present at the programme.
(PTI News)
