The recently concluded ‘Advantage Assam- Global Investment Summit’ successfully attracted a lot of investors to Assam. Singpho tea, one of the most ancient form of organic tea managed to cast its spell on the foreign delegates, especially those coming from Japan and Korea.
Manje La, hailing from Margherita in Tinsukia district had set up a stall in the Exhibition Hall at the summit. Speaking exclusively to NorthEast Now, he said, ‘”We were invited by Assam Tourism to set up a stall here. We have received great response from the delegates who tasted our tea. Especially the delegates from Japan and Korea have shown a lot of interest in our tea.”
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Narrating the interesting history of the Singpho tea, he said, ‘”It is one of the oldest form of tea in India. When Robert Bruce visited Upper Assam in 1823, he was offered this brand of tea by the Singpho king. He was so enamoured after drinking it that he started thinking about tea plantation seriously. Earlier, the British used to import their tea from China. However, after this incident, tea plantation started here. So, this can be termed as a turning point in the history of tea in India.”
Claiming that Singpho tea has medicinal quality, Manje La said, “Though it has not been proved scientifically, our tea has some medicinal quality. Diseases like diabetes and cancer don’t happen if you drink this tea regularly. You will find very few people in our Singpho community who suffer from these diseases.’
He said that this tea is sold at the Singpho Eco-lodge in Ketetong village near Margherita. ‘ Tourists from many countries like Canada and Japan have bought our tea. However, as it is made organically, its production is limited.’
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Manje La hopes that Advantage Assam will increase awareness about Singpho tea and its ‘advantages.’