GUWAHATI: Guwahati Tea Auction Center (GTAC) on Friday (September 25) completed its 50 years in marketing teas across the world.
It was on 11th August, 1970 when Government of Assam decided to open a Tea Auction Center at Guwahati and appointed Late Dharmanda Das as the First Chairman of the Committee after receiving huge demand from the local tea planters to open an auction center in Guwahati.
After a lot of interactions with the buyers, brokers and tea producers the first auction was held on 25th September 1970. On that day the first lot of tea produced from Haroocharai Tea Estate was knocked down by Assam legend late R G Baruah on behalf of Assam Tea Broker and was bought by Jafar Ali from Johrat, owner of Diamond Tea Company.
In the first year Guwahati Tea Auction Center sold 9.1 million Kgs of Tea at the average price of Rs 5.68 per kg. and history was created when GTAC sold 204 million Kgs of teas in the year 2019-20 at the average price of Rs. 139.63 per kg.
In earlier days GTAC used stadium Guest House (adjacent to Nehru stadium) as the auction hall to facilitate its tea trading (buying and selling). Later on GTAC shifted its auction to its own building where two separate auction halls were built one for CTC leaf section and another for CTC dust section.
Efforts were on from 1960s for establishment of the Tea Auction Center in Guwahati, the Gateway of to the Northeast India. A group of Assam’s best tea planters were determined despite of all constraints that an auction center must be set up and worked very fast towards achieving the objective and now Guwahati Tea Auction Center is proud to have its own building and world class infrastructure.
Following the global digitization of tea marketing, GTAC also adopted the trend. In the year 2010 when Tea Board of India introduced an e-platform for buying and selling teas as a Pan India Auction System, GTAC became the 1st Auction center in India to sell its tea globally and introduced a digital settlement prompt payment system.
Now GTAC is the second largest CTC Auction Center in the world and GTAC is described as having a record of being well maintained and rule follower of Government and Tea Board guidelines. Recently this auction center also introduced a GTAC Tea Lounge where the best quality Assam teas from the finest gardens of Assam are available from buying and tasting.
This auction center has become icon of tea industry in the state and an inspiration for all the citizens of Assam.
On the occasion of Golden Jubilee, GTAC is conducting a Webinar at 4 pm on Friday where the Chairman of GTAC, Dr. K.K. Dwivedi (IAS), Chairman and Deputy Chairman of Tea Board, Chairman CCPA/ Chairman FAITTA and other Tea Dignitaries and Stakeholders will participate to make the event a success.