Guwahati: Assam’s tea industry has raised around Rs 2.26 crore for flood relief, with a special charity auction at the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC) generating Rs 1.61 crore and businessman Hemant Bangur contributing another Rs 65 lakh.
The auction, organised by the Tea Association of India (TAI), brought together tea producers, buyers, brokers and other stakeholders to raise funds for the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma joined the auction and hammered 12 ceremonial lots, which together fetched Rs 99.51 lakh.
The special auction drew participation from major tea buyers, including Society Tea, Wagh Bakri, Today Tea, Jivraj Tea and Uphaar. Society Tea emerged as the largest buyer by purchase value at Rs 26.10 lakh, followed by Wagh Bakri at Rs 24.04 lakh.
Buyers from Mumbai, Surat, Ahmedabad and Delhi travelled to Guwahati to participate in the fund-raising auction.
The event was also attended by Minister for Transformation & Development, Labour Welfare and Tea Tribes & Adivasi Welfare Rameswar Teli, Chief Secretary Ravi Kota and senior government officials.
The fund-raising effort involved contributions from across the tea auction chain. Producers donated tea for the auction, brokers waived brokerage, participating warehouses waived warehousing charges and GTAC facilitated the special sale.
TAI senior vice-president Mohit Agarwal said the response demonstrated the willingness of the tea industry to come together in support of people affected by the floods.
The association thanked the Assam government, Tea Board India, GTAC, producers, buyers, brokers, warehouses and other stakeholders for supporting the initiative.
The charity auction effectively turned one of Assam’s most important commercial platforms—the tea auction—into a fund-raising exercise for flood relief.