Assam minister bats for quality tea produce, better branding

Assam Industry Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary on Wednesday urged the state's tea industry to stress on quality production to be able to compete in the international market.

Assam tea is not getting a favourable competitive price in the international market, mainly due to its quality, lack of proper branding and international linkages, Patowary told reporters here, following a meeting with representatives of various tea organisations.

"The state government is setting up a mega Tea Park at Chaygaon based on the model of the Dubai Tea Park to promote branding, quality and market linkages of Assam tea," he said.

The minister also called on the Tocklai Tea Research Institute to take up research to improve tea quality, and said the state government will allocate funds under the industry department in the next state budget.

"We have to raise the price of Assam tea in the international market to sustain the industry, and the tea companies should also initiate innovations to enable competitiveness," he added.

The state government may also engage a third party to conduct a study for better management, marketing, technical support, packaging, and design, he said.

Patowary said that five per cent of land belonging to big tea gardens can be utilised for other plants like agar, coffee and black pepper.

The Assam government may consider proposals from interested garden managements in this regard, he said.

The state government has taken several measures for the socio-economic benefit of tea workers, the minister added.