Tripura’s Loduya tea estate, plans to start organic tea farming to earn a good profit from the international tea market. Tea prices vary largely in national and international markets.
Loduya Tea Estate is a society-run tea garden of Sabroom subdivision of South Tripura.
In international market, non-organic tea is sold only at Rs 400 per kg but organic tea can be sold at Rs 8000 per kg.
For selling organic sea, a tea planter needs to acquire a certificate from an authorized agency and recommendation of Tea Board of India (TBI).
Diganta Barman, an official of TBI has played an important role in procuring the certificate and now the tea estate staff is hopeful of a profitable business.
Snehashish Danda, the manger of the tea estate said that a tea logo must be made for effective marketing of their products.
However, the challenge of producing organic tea is that farming must be done without the use of any chemicals and high quality products should be produced. Also, it requires skilled tea planters for organic tea farming.
Barman was able to successfully implement organic tea farming in many small tea gardens of Mizoram and is planning to do the same in Tripura.
Barman said that organic tea production is good in small tea gardens and since Tripura has many such small tea gardens organic tea farming can help in the development of the State’s tea industry.
Danda said Loduya tea estate had produced one lakh kg green and CTC tea last year and this year the production target is around 1.25 lakh kg.
The manager is hopeful that if Loduya tea estate can continue producing organic tea for the next three years they will achieve a remarkable feat in the international market.