Tripura begins efforts to improve the tea sector

Santana Chakma, the minister of commerce and industries for Tripura, said that the BJP-led government has taken action to support the tea sector in the northeastern state. Speaking at the state’s first-ever stakeholder consultation for the establishment of a tea e-auction center, the minister said that the previous Left Front government had mostly disregarded tea, one of the oldest organized industries.

Chakma stated that the recommendations made by the experts during the meeting will be implemented at the proper levels and asked for support from stakeholders Tea Board India (TBI), Tea Research Institute (TRI), Association of Tea Auctioneers, and Tea Development Corporation (TTDC) in order to grow the tea industry in the state.

According to Sumanta Poddar, who spoke on behalf of the India Tea Association (ITA), the state’s tea is the safest to consume because it employs the fewest possible pesticides. Quality tea leaf plucking is essential to creating high-quality tea, according to Tanmoy Bandhapadhyay, who oversees the Tea Research Institute (TRI)’s Tripura and Cachar centers.

The promotion of tea grown in the northeastern state was also emphasized by C Bharathiraja, the Factory Advisory Officer (FAO) for the Tea Board of India (TBI), Agartala. Vishwasree V, the Director of Industries and Commerce, acknowledged the attendance’ concerns over transportation costs and promised to investigate the matters raised during the consultation meeting. With 52 tea gardens, the northeastern state produces about 9 million kg of finished tea a year.

By Banasree Sarkar