1 kg speciality tea fetches Rs 50,000 in Assam auction

Guwahati, July 30 (IANS) Breaking all past records, a kilogram of speciality tea at the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC) in Assam fetched Rs 50,000 on Tuesday.

"A line of Manohari Gold Tea was knocked down under Pan India Auction system at Rs 50,000. This is the highest price any tea has fetched in any auction centre all over the world," a senior GTAC official told IANS.

The GTAC official said that the auctions have been witnessing record prices, particularly for speciality tea over the last few years and added that there is also a growing demand for speciality tea from the buyers.

"The prices fetched during the auction speaks about the quality and also tells that price cannot be a hindrance for quality tea," the official said.

"The GTAC has been a platform for selling the tea. Records are being made for last few years in the GTAC during tea auctions particularly by the specialty teas. This is good as it will encourage other quality tea producers to make good quality speciality tea and send it to GTAC," he added.

Owner of the Manohari tea estate, Rajan Lohia, said that the estate could produce only five kilograms of speciality tea this year because of unfavourable weather.

"The weather was not good this year and that affected the industry. Gold tea from our estate is made from the finest clones. It is made from the small buds and not from the leaves. It is a tedious and difficult process," he said, adding that the buds are plucked early morning during the second flush season in May and June.

The GTAC sources said that Manjilal Maheshwari of Sourabh Tea Traders bid the highest price in the morning auction on Tuesday.

A kilogram of Manohari Gold Tea was sold for Rs 39,001 last year, a record which was soon broken by the Golden Needle variety from the Donyi Polo Tea Estate in Arunachal Pradesh which sold for Rs 40,000.