Agartala: Tripura’s long-awaited first tea auction centre is expected to become operational by April, marking a major step in strengthening the state’s tea economy and reducing its dependence on out-of-state trading hubs.
The facility is being developed at Gurkhabasti in West Tripura district, where Chief Minister Manik Saha laid the foundation stone in March 2024.
Once operational, it will place Tripura among a select group of states with dedicated tea auction infrastructure, joining the country’s existing seven auction centres.
Tripura Tea Development Corporation chairman Samir Ranjan Ghosh said the state has fixed April as the target for making the centre functional.
To address concerns over viability raised by buyers, the corporation has decided to provide a transport subsidy of Rs. 4 per kg from its own funds.
At present, tea growers in Tripura are compelled to send their produce to auction centres in Guwahati and Kolkata, a process that increases both transit time and transportation costs.
The new centre is expected to eliminate this burden, allowing traders to conduct auctions within the state itself and improve price realisation for local tea, which often fails to get priority at outside auction platforms.
ALSO READ: Alleged CMSDF fund misuse triggers probe demand in West Garo Hills Bodo cultural project
The proposed auction centre is also expected to have significant fiscal implications for the state.
Officials said Tripura currently loses substantial revenue in State GST as it is classified as a tea-producing state.
With the establishment of the auction centre, Tripura would qualify as a tea-consuming state, making it eligible for State GST collection from auction transactions.
Tripura currently has 54 operational tea estates, producing around 90 lakh kilograms of finished tea annually.
The sector provides direct employment to over 30,000 people, making it one of the state’s most important agro-based industries.
