ProMASS News
Agartala, August 27, 2019: The 103-year old tea industry of Tripura is set to look beyond traditional markets and determined to expand its market reach using all possible opportunities. As part of its market expansion plan, Tripura Tea industry is eyeing at promoting Tea-tourism, start selling tea packets through Public Distribution System (PDS) and is trying to export tea to Bangladesh. Tripura Tea Development Corporation (TTDC) chairman Santosh Saha said this in Agartala today.
Besides, tea processing units are facing uncertainty due to shortage in coal supply. To reduce dependence on coal, TTDC is in the process of signing MoU with Tripura Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (TNGCL) for supplying gas as fuel to units. While stress is on market expansion, TTDC chalked out plans for harnessing production potentiality by adopting two-point strategies.
TTDC will distribute tea saplings to beneficiaries of Damburnagar Block in Dhalai district to bring 500 acre land under tea production. “This garden will also boost tea tourism along with augmenting tea production”, Saha said.
Further, in bordering areas, TTDC is eyeing at Indian lands lying on Bangladesh side of barbed wire fencing. Already, some small tea growers are cultivating tea on other side of the fencing and earning a decent income, Saha told media.
He also shed lights on the achievement during last one year under BJP-led Government in Tripura and said, till now tea is a loss incurring industry – however, with the initiatives taken, tea industry will witness massive changes and by 2020, loss will be slashed down to zero, he claimed.
