Assam tea sets a record with Rs. 39,001 price tag

Golden-hued tea auctioned in Guwahati

Golden-hued tea became Assam’s most expensive tea variety on Tuesday when it fetched Rs. 39,001 per kg at the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC).

GTAC officials said the brand Manohari Gold Tea, produced by Manohari Tea Estate in eastern Assam’s Dibrugarh district, fetched the record price for orthodox teas during sale number 30. Guwahati-based Saurabh Tea Traders purchased the tea from Contemporary Brokers for buyers in Delhi and Ahmedabad.

The earlier record of Rs. 18,801 per kg was for a speciality tea from Donyi Polo Tea Estate in Arunachal Pradesh. “A lot of effort went into producing the world-class tea with delicate buds hand-plucked from special clones of tea bushes,” Rajan Lohia, owner of Manohari Tea Estate, said.

He hoped the record price would go a long way in Assam tea regaining its lost glory, adding there are connoisseurs across the globe ready to pay any price for good quality teas. Dinesh Bihani, secretary of Guwahati Tea Auction Buyers’ Association, said GTAC has evolved as a platform for specialty teas. “This will encourage other tea producers to make good quality specialty tea and take the auction route to sell to highest bidders,” he said.

Source: The Hindu, 25/0718