Chattogram’s tea auctions will be held online
Through this, buyers will be able to purchase tea sitting at home and garden owners will come to know about the price of tea during the auction
Auctions in Chattogram will be held online to dynamise tea sales.
"The matter is currently under process," said Shah Moinuddin Hasan, chairman of the Tea Traders Association of Bangladesh (TTAB).
He said this to Major General Md Zahirul Islam, chairman of the Bangladesh Tea Board, when he visited the auction house at the Chattogram auction centre on Monday morning.
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The tea board chairman said, "It is time to implement this [online auction] as part of building a Digital Bangladesh. TTAB needs to take immediate action in this regard."
"Through this, buyers will be able to purchase tea sitting at home. Garden owners will also come to know about the price of tea during the auction," he added.
Major General Md Zahirul Islam said the cost of production in gardens has gone up because of the 18% increase to the wages of tea workers.
"But the price of tea has not increased at auction. In such a situation, owners are struggling to manage their gardens," he continued.
"Traders should pay special attention to ensure that the price of tea at auction is not lower than the cost of production," he advised.
Major General Md Zahirul Islam said tea exports need to be further increased for foreign exchange earnings.
"In addition, due to the declining domestic demand for tea in the novel coronavirus situation, traders need to increase publicity about the benefits of tea as a healthy beverage in order to increase tea consumption," he added.
Tea Board Deputy Director (Commerce) Muhammad Madhul Kabir Chowdhury, Marketing Officer Ahsan Habib, National Broker Chairman Mohammad Saiful Islam, Unity Broker Executive Director Sajjad Hayat, and many others were present during the visit.
