Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday flagged the benefits for Assam’s tea sector from the recently-signed free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the European Union (EU).
Addressing a rally in Dibrugarh, Shah congratulated the people of Dibrugarh on the FTA deal. “The biggest benefit of this (deal) will go to Dibrugarh... Tea produced in Assam will now be available in 27 European nations for zero tariff... And we will, compared to other countries, will earn more profit...”
India’s annual tea exports to the EU is around 20 million kilogrammes.
Assam contributes over 50 per cent of India’s tea output. Dibrugarh is a leading tea producing district of Assam.
The Tea Association of India had said on Wednesday that though the FTA holds a lot of promise for the Indian tea industry, but “to fully leverage its benefits, exporters will require support for certification, testing, traceability systems, and capacity building, particularly for small and medium enterprises”.
Shah also claimed that the past Congress governments had done nothing or the welfare of Assam tea garden workers. In a bid to woo the electorally influential tea community in the poll-bound state, he then pointed out that the BJP-led state government had passed the Land Holding Amendment Act in 2025, “thereby making more than 3 lakh Santhal, Kol, Bhil, Munda, and Bengali workers from 825 tea gardens owners of the land”.