Agartala, Oct 29 (IANS) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said on Thursday that the inauguration of the state’s first tea auction centre in Agartala would help tea producers secure better prices, reduce transportation costs and strengthen the state’s tea industry.
The Chief Minister made the remarks while inaugurating the Tea Auction Centre at Pandit Nehru Complex in Gurkhabasti, on the outskirts of Agartala city, describing the initiative as a significant milestone in Tripura’s economic development.
“This is a very important and significant day for us, and it will be written in the history of Tripura,” the Chief Minister said, crediting the achievement to the collective efforts of the state government, various departments and other stakeholders under the vision of ‘Team Tripura’.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s emphasis on dreaming big and translating aspirations into reality, CM Saha added that several development initiatives envisioned by the state government were now being implemented.
The Chief Minister said that Tripura’s soil and climatic conditions were highly favourable for producing quality tea and the state ranks third in tea production nationally and second in the Northeastern region, producing around 70 to 100 lakh kg of tea annually.
The industry comprises around 54 tea gardens and nearly 2,000-2,800 small tea growers.
Chief Minister Saha added that the state government had undertaken several initiatives since 2018 to revive struggling tea gardens, improve infrastructure and enhance the welfare of tea workers and their families, including measures to support the education of their children.
He said the state government was committed to restoring struggling tea gardens to productive and sustainable conditions, emphasising that the objective was not merely to increase production but also to ensure financial security for thousands of families and generate employment opportunities.
Highlighting the significance of the new facility, the Chief Minister added that Tripura’s tea was previously transported mainly to Kolkata and Guwahati for auction and sale, increasing logistical expenses and delaying payments to producers.
The new centre is expected to address these challenges by providing tea growers and producers with access to an auction facility within the state.
The introduction of electronic auctions is expected to improve transparency, encourage greater competition among buyers and reduce dependence on intermediaries.
The facility will also facilitate direct communication between local producers and major tea exporters and packaging companies across the country, the Chief Minister said.
Chief Minister Saha also noted that the availability of testing facilities, warehousing and other supporting infrastructure would help reduce transportation, storage and sample-testing costs.
According to information shared at the programme, the initiative is expected to save around Rs 3–6 per kilogram of tea.
The overall selling process, which earlier took around 44 days, is also expected to become nearly 40 per cent shorter.
The Chief Minister expressed hope that improved price realisation would encourage tea growers to invest in better-quality production, modernise their operations and strengthen the branding of Tripura tea in national and international markets.
Industry and Commerce Minister Santana Chakma, Secretary Kiran Gitte, Tripura Tea Development Corporation Limited (TTDCL) Chairman Samir Ranjan Ghosh and TTDCL Managing Director Rajesh Kumar Das were present at the inaugural programme.
–IANS
sc/khz