Tezpur: Assam tea has maintained its popularity in the world market and producers should stress on quality control and not on profit, Tea Board Chairman M G K V Bhanu said today.
Addressing the 122nd Annual General Meeting of the Assam branch of the Indian Tea Association (ABITA) here today, Bhanu urged the tea industry to improve the quality of Assam tea to compete in the international market.
“Although tea producing countries like Iran, Ghana and Sri Lanka have made an impact in the international tea market yet Assam Tea continues to enjoy popularity,” he said.
The Tea Board has apprised the government to check any anomalies regarding quality control of Indian Tea and amend existing laws to control quality of tea at various level, he said.
There were 1.80 lakh small tea growers registered under the Tea Board and they should concentrate to improve and maintain the quality of the tea while the industry as a whole should focus on the profit factor.
Presiding over the meeting, ABITA Chairman A Awasthi said the total turnover of the tea Industry in Assam is now Rs 5,500 cr with the Brahmaputra Valley alone producing 460 million kg but the average price of tea has declined by about Rs 1.80 per kg due to higher availability of tea in market.
Indian Tea Association Chairman C S Bedi said that during 2011, however, it was found that export of Indian tea had declined to 86 million kgs as against 193 million kgs in 2010 primarily due to the loss of the Iran market. (PTI)