Cup of joy

Guwahati, Sept. 25: Industries and commerce minister Pradyut Bordoloi yesterday said the government would soon declare tea the state drink.

Bordoloi revealed this at an interactive meet organised by the joint forum of Assam Tea Planters Association, North Eastern Tea Association and Bharatiya Cha Parishad at Golaghat yesterday. About a hundred tea planters from Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Jorhat and Golaghat participated in the interactive meet.

“The appeal to declare tea as the state drink of Assam is under serious consideration of the government and it will be declared soon,” he said.

The North Eastern Tea Association had raised the issue of declaring tea the state drink, as tea was inextricably linked to state, which accounted for more than 51 per cent of India’s tea production and 13 per cent of the global tea production.

The Assam tea industry employs nearly five lakh permanent workers and another five lakh seasonal workers, while another 10 lakh are dependent on it for employment and services.

Tea is the national drink in China.

Bordoloi visited Jamguri tea estate, a certified organic tea garden of the state, in Golaghat district. “Thrust has been to enhance the quality of Assam tea and set new standards for tea producers of Assam. As such, we are trying to encourage best practices in tea production, promoting organic culture and orthodox production is uppermost on our agenda,” Bordoloi said.

He stressed the need to produce quality orthodox tea, since the shares of CTC, orthodox and green tea are 41 per cent, 45 per cent and 14 per cent respectively in the world tea market.

Assam produces only 8 per cent orthodox and 92 per cent CTC teas.

The planter community appreciated the minister’s sincere effort towards solving the issues of the Assam tea industry.

Issues pertaining to the tea industry like fertilisers, pollution fees, e-auction, land lease, Guwahati Tea Auction Centre, Assam Gas Company and other matters were also discussed in detail during the meet. The joint forum also submitted a number of memoranda to the minister on a host of issues relating to the Assam tea industry.