Tea Board India has set out plans in Kolkata to modernise the auction system through which much of the country’s tea is sold. At the heart of the proposal is a next-generation online platform, along with a cut in trading charges from 12 to 7.5 paise per kilogram. The new web-based system is already live in Kolkata, Coonoor and Dibrugarh, with other centres to follow in phases.
The stakes reach well beyond the trading floor: auction prices act as the benchmark for the green leaf that small growers sell to factories. A dedicated reform committee has also recommended revised sampling rules, standardised lots and grades, shorter lead times and direct ex-estate sales.
Between 2015-16 and 2025-26, auction volumes rose from roughly 518 to nearly 644 million kg, while registered buyers grew from 1,702 to 2,417. The overhaul arrives in a tough year for producers squeezed by high costs and weak prices.
Source: Northeast Now