india

Updated: Aug 28, 2019 13:42 IST

Aiming at a higher tea production rate, the Tripura Tea Development Corporation (TTDC) has started identifying vacant land outside the Indian fenced areas to cultivate tea.

Speaking on the latest devgelopment, TTDC chairman Santosh Saha said, “Some of the farmers have land outside the fencing. We have started identifying those lands outside the Indian fencing area nearing the Indo-Bangla border. The steps are being taken with consent of the state government.”

“Farmers are already engaged with tea cultivation outside the border fence since years, long before the TTDC even thought of the such a plan,” Saha added.

As per India-Bangladesh Border Agreement, during the partition in 1971, India erected wire fences and pillars were placed by Bangladesh at 100 yards distance from the zero line.

Elaborating on the initiative, Saha informed that the Tripura tea industry has been bearing huge losses due to wrong practices. “But, in the past one year, we have brought down the loss by increasing tea production and minimizing unnecessary expenses,” he added.

On possibilities of exporting tea, Saha said, “The Bangladesh government imports tea from foreign countries, such as Sri Lanka. We have requested the Centre to procure tea from Tripura. Bangladesh has acknowledged our request with an assurance to look into the matter seriously.”

The TTDC chairman also said there are plans to distribute tea through Public Distribution System (PDS). “We have spoken with Food Minister about distributing tea through fair price shops. We will initially target 231 fair price shops with the Agartala Municipal Corporation. Tea will be sold at Rs. 17 per 100 grams at these shops”, Saha said.

The annual production of Tripura tea goes upto 90 lakh kilograms. Most of the tea produced in the state is sent to Guwahati and Kolkata-based auction centres. For this reason, Tripura is planning to open its own auction centre in Agartala.

Additonally, the government has plan to facilitate auction of Tripura tea in Bangladesh’s Srimangal Auction Centre, which is only five kilometres away from Kailasahar in Unakoti district of the state, Saha informed.

Currently, Tripura has 58 operational tea gardens, which includes 42 individually owned, three Tripura Tea Development Corporation (TTDC)-run gardens and 13 gardens operated under cooperative societies. There are 22 tea processing factories in the state.

Tea industry started its journey in the state with opening of Hiracherra tea estate in Unakoti District in 1916. In January this year, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb launched an official logo of Tripura tea.