Tea Board of India has plans to brand Tripura tea to help promote it in the national as well as global level. The board wants to use logo and brand the state tea.
Tea Board of India’s assistant director (tea development), Diganta Barman, said tea industry started in Tripura at Hiracherra tea estate in present day Unakoti district in 1916.
Barman added that tea produced in Tripura is being sold under big brands such as Goodwyn. Tea gardens in Narendrapur and Mekhlipara in West Tripura district are registered under Goodwyn.
“There are several processes before a logo is declared. These involve testing of variety, quality, yield rate of tea, chemical and physical testing, collecting samples from different flush varieties among others. The process is in progress. Besides, there is low consistency of Tripura’s tea as frequency of plucking is low and there is low replantation since the beginning of this industry,” Barman said.
In a recent meeting with director of industries and commerce department, senior manager of Manuvalley tea estate in Unakoti district, Anirban Majumder, said there is a gap of 20 million kg tea between production and consumption of tea in Bangladesh. He suggested to export tea from Tripura to Bangladesh for better price. The Tea Board has mounted efforts for promoting organic tea from Tripura. As part of it, Fatikcherra tea estate in Sidhai Mohanpur of West Tripura district has already been announced the first organic tea estate. Ludhua tea estate in South Tripura district has also cleared all tests for the organic tag, reports The Telegraph.
Barman said the logo is expected to be ready in next couple of months.
The issue is likely to be discussed at a meeting of the Tea Board in Guwahati, starting Tuesday.