Jalpaiguri tea auction centre may not start operations in April: official

Kolkata: The Jalpaiguri tea auction centre in West Bengal may not resume functioning in April due to minor operational difficulties, an official said on Thursday.

The centre, which became operational in 2005, is shut since 2015 owing to inadequate supply from the sellers, North Bengal Tea Auction Committee joint convenor P Baxigupta said.

"It was proposed that the Jalpaiguri auction centre will restart its operations in April after a gap of seven years. But, there could be a minor delay due to certain operational difficulties," he said.

Once the centre becomes functional again, it would be the third such facility in West Bengal. Kolkata and Siliguri have the other two auction centres.

The Jalpaiguri centre will cater mainly to the tea grown in Dooars and Terai. The two regions produce more than 200 million kg of tea per year, Baxigupta said.

At present, the crop from Dooars and Terai go to Kolkata and Siliguri for auctioning. Some quantities are sold privately as well, he said.

"Once the Jalpaiguri centre is functional, costs of logistics will come down, besides it will also create employment opportunities in the region," he said.

"The auction centre will have a positive economic impact on the area with blenders and packers getting encouragement to set up warehouses to store tea," the official said.

A stakeholder committee, comprising Tea Board officials, buyers, sellers and brokers, has been formed and it is working out the modalities, Baxigupta said.

The 'Bharat Auction' model for tea auction will be used at the centre, he said.

The system, which is already operational in south India, will soon be introduced in north India, he added.