Agartala, Oct 29 (SocialNews.XYZ) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Thursday inaugurated the state’s first tea auction centre in Agartala, making it the second state in the Northeast after Assam, and the fifth in the country, to have such a facility.
The Tripura Tea Development Corporation Limited (TTDCL) Chairman, Samir Ranjan Ghosh, said the tea auction centre aims to strengthen the marketing network for Tripura tea, reduce transportation costs and the time required to sell tea consignments, and help growers secure competitive prices for their produce.
State Industries and Commerce Minister Santan Chakma attended the inauguration ceremony, held at the Pandit Nehru Complex in Gurkhabasti, on the outskirts of Agartala city.
The foundation stone for the tea auction centre was laid in March 2024 as part of efforts to strengthen the state’s tea industry and improve marketing facilities for local producers.
According to Ghosh, Tripura currently has 54 large tea gardens and around 2,800 small tea growers, collectively producing approximately 9 million to 10 million kg of tea annually.
He said the state had so far depended on auction centres outside Tripura to market a substantial portion of its tea production, with nearly 60 per cent of the produce being sold through external auction facilities.
The establishment of the new centre is expected to provide tea producers with more direct access to buyers, improve marketing opportunities for small tea growers and reduce the time required to sell tea consignments, he said.
The TTDCL chairman said that selling a tea consignment currently takes around 44 days, but the corporation expects the new auction facility to reduce the time by approximately 40 per cent.
To ensure the successful operation of the centre, the corporation has held several rounds of discussions with buyers and brokerage firms in Kolkata and Guwahati to encourage their participation in the Agartala tea auctions, Ghosh said.
Several reputed brokerage firms and buyers from different parts of the country have already expressed interest in participating in the auctions, he added.
The participation of buyers and brokers will be crucial to ensuring competitive bidding, strengthening market linkages and expanding the reach of Tripura tea, which has traditionally depended on external trading centres for a significant share of its sales.
The new facility is also expected to improve coordination between tea producers, traders and buyers, while providing a more accessible platform for marketing locally produced tea.
However, the long-term effectiveness of the auction centre will depend on sustained buyer participation, competitive bidding and the extent to which reductions in marketing time and transportation costs translate into better returns for tea growers.
TTDCL Managing Director Rajesh Kumar Das, who was also present at the inauguration ceremony, described the occasion as a defining moment for the state's tea industry and its stakeholders, including growers, manufacturers, bought-leaf factory operators, tea estate owners, workers and traders.
“The Agartala Tea Auction Centre has been established with one clear purpose, to place the tea stakeholders of the state at the centre of a transparent, efficient and rewarding marketing system,” Das said.
At present, a major portion of Tripura's tea is transported to auction markets in Guwahati and West Bengal for sale, resulting in additional transportation expenses and higher marketing costs for producers.
The establishment of an auction centre within the state is expected to facilitate better coordination between sellers and buyers, reduce transportation expenses and improve price realisation for tea producers and others associated with the sector.
Tripura's 54 tea gardens include estates operated by the state-owned Tripura Tea Development Corporation Limited, the Tripura Cooperative Society and private owners.
Alongside these large tea estates, around 2,800 small tea growers play a significant role in the state's tea industry, contributing nearly 30 per cent of its total tea production, which stands at approximately 90 lakh kg annually.
More than 60 per cent of the state's tea production is currently marketed through auction centres outside Tripura, highlighting the importance of developing an effective local auction system.
With the inauguration of the Agartala Tea Auction Centre, the state is seeking to strengthen its tea marketing infrastructure, reduce dependence on external auction markets and create better opportunities for growers to obtain competitive prices for their produce.
The initiative is expected to provide a major boost to Tripura's tea industry by bringing key marketing activities closer to producers and creating a more efficient trading environment within the state.
Source: IANS
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