Tripura Targets Self-Reliance in Tea Sector, Slashes Losses

Agartala, Dec 5 (PTI) — Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha has called on the state's tea development corporation to adopt proactive measures for self-reliance and to lay out specific strategies for employment creation, according to an official statement on Friday.

The Tripura Tea Development Corporation (TTDC) has successfully reduced its fiscal losses from Rs 5.4 crore in the 2023-24 financial year to Rs 2.81 crore in the 2024-25 fiscal year, marking a significant achievement in managing revenue losses.

On Thursday, the chief minister convened a review meeting with senior officials from the Industries and Commerce department and TTDC at the Civil Secretariat.

"During the meeting, Chief Minister Saha highlighted that Tripura tea is not lacking in taste and aroma, emphasizing the need to maintain quality and engage in robust marketing strategies," TTDC chairman Samir Ranjan Ghosh stated.

He further suggested that revenue could be enhanced by promoting Tripura tea in states where it is not locally produced.

"The chief minister also encouraged the pursuit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'vocal for local' initiative, urging increased consumption of Tripura tea within the state," Ghosh added.

Kiran Gitte, Secretary of the Tripura Industries Department, reported that the state's tea production in 2024 reached 90 lakh kilograms.

The sector comprises five gardens managed by the tea development corporation, 13 by cooperatives, and 36 by private estates, along with approximately 2,800 small tea farmers.

Various measures have been initiated to enhance the living conditions of tea garden workers through the Chief Minister's Tea Workers' Welfare Scheme, Gitte noted.

He stated that tea workers' daily wages have been increased from Rs 105 to Rs 204, and improvements have been made to the Brahmakund Tea Processing Centre. A small tea processing factory has also been established in the Machmara estate, North Tripura district.

"Considerable efforts are underway to transform TTDC into a 'self-reliant' organization in the near future. The previous financial year's loss reduction could have been greater if the government allowed the corporation to sell tea in auction markets instead of relying on public distribution systems," Ghosh noted.

The TTDC aims to reach 'zero loss' status by implementing several initiatives during the current fiscal year, Ghosh concluded.

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