Assam govt for more tea auction centres

Stating this in the assembly today, Industry minister Pradyut Bordoloi said there was an urgent need to set up more tea auction centres other than the existing Guwahati auction centre as major tea produce were auctioned outside the state.     

The matter was brought up during zero hour by former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta who alleged that only 20 per cent of the tea produced in the state was auctioned in the Guwahati tea auction centre.     

He alleged that the government was being robbed by precious revenue as nearly 80 per cent of the tea produced by Assam, the largest tea producing state in the country, was being auctioned in Kolkata.     

Mahanta said the state was losing precious revenue as per kg of tea auctioned fetches Re one for the government.     

Sharing the concern of former Chief Minister, Bordoloi admitted that a large produce of tea was being auctioned outside the state for which more auction centres will be set up.     

The minister assured that the small tea producers will be encouraged to sell their produce in the state and power at subsidised cost will be provided to them.