GUWAHATI, June 14 � The Assam tea has a share of 60 to 65 per cent in the total around 210 million kg of tea consumed by the people of western India annually. Considering the fact that Assam produces around 620 million kg of tea per annum, this news is significant for the Assam tea industry.
This information was disclosed by Piyus Desai, president of the Western India Tea Dealers� Association and Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) of the Ahmedabad-based tea packaging industry, Wagh Bakri Tea Group.
Again, renowned tea taster Ashok Relia, after tasting the tea varieties from 64 tea estates and bought leaf factories on the ultimate day of the two-day Buyers-Sellers Meet organised by the North Eastern Tea Association (NETA) at Golaghat today, said that the tea produced in Assam meets the parameters of the western India consumers� demand. All the tea lots tasted today maintained good standard and none of the lot was below the standard of six on the scale of zero to 10. Some of the lots even maintained the standard of eight to nine, said Relia.
Desai, while talking to this correspondent over phone from Golaghat where he is attending the Buyers-Sellers Meet, said that the people of western India prefer the Assam tea due to its stronger flavour. Assam tea is maintaining its consistency over the years and hence the size of its clientele is good, he said.
He added that his company, Wagh Bakri Group, is also playing a major role in popularizing the Assam tea in western India. But, he maintained, the tea industry in Assam should adopt modern approach in improving the quality, etc, of its products.
He informed that of the around 1,250 million kg to 1,300 million kg of tea produced in the country, around 1,100 million kg are consumed domestically. Of it, around 350 million kg to 400 million kg are sold as packet tea, including tea bags. The rest around 700 million kg of tea is sold as lose tea.
Wagh Bakri, with an annual sale of 38 million kg, is the third largest tea packaging company of the country, he said.
He also informed that he had announced an aid of Rs 3 crore at the Buyers-Sellers Meet yesterday, under their company�s corporate social responsibility activities, to set up a laboratory and a research centre for the development of the tea industry in Assam and asked the NETA to submit a proposal for the purpose.
Meanwhile, NETA chairman Bidyananda Barkakoti told this correspondent that the Wagh Bakri and the Girnar together made a spot purchase of five truckloads of tea at the meet today. Spot buying is a totally a new concept for the tea industry and it augurs well for the same, Barkakoti said.
