Tripura keen to export tea to Bangladesh

The Indian state of Tripura is keen to export tea to Bangladesh, and efforts are already under way in that direction, said Manik Saha, the chief minister of the state.

Additionally, the state is also thinking of establishing a tea auction centre there in collaboration with the relevant agencies, he said.

Tripura tea has significantly increased in popularity in recent years, particularly after the state-produced tea was made available in fair-priced stores at reduced costs, reports East Mojo.

At the official launching program of Tripureswari Premium tea, a brand owned by Tripura Tea Development Corporation, the chief minister said, "The state government has launched multi-pronged efforts to ensure that the quality of the state's tea improves and becomes competitive with the national market. By swiftly resolving outstanding concerns, the TTDC has done a tremendous job of restoring the lacklustre tea industry. The government is also helping small tea farmers with the production".

Highlighting the impediments related to land, he said, "We are already working to resolve the land-related conflicts. Hopefully, all of the issues that the tea growers are experiencing can be addressed shortly. In addition, sufficient emphasis is placed on modernising the current facilities. The Durgabari Central Tea Processing Factory has undergone a thorough conversion to a gas-based facility. A factory will soon be built in the Machmara Tea Garden, while a processing facility has already been created in Pancham Nagar".

Saha said that the Tripura tea sector has experienced a fillip since 2018 under the direction of TTDC. 

"Tripura tea's history dates back to 1916, but there was no logo for the tea till 2018. In the last few years, a logo for Tripura tea was designed and came into being. The brand name of Tripureswari tea was also launched by former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb. Installation of packing units in Durgabari is some of the key steps undertaken by the state government to popularise Tripura tea in the domestic markets," he added.

Discussing the rich history of Tripura tea, the minister said, "Tea is grown on over 12,000 hectares of land in Tripura. There are 54 tea gardens altogether that give an annual production of 9 to 10 lakh kgs of tea. There are 2,800-odd small tea growers who roughly produce 8 to 9 million kg of green tea. Apart from being the oldest industry, tea is also generating good employment opportunities across the state."