Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha has urged the Tripura Tea Development Corporation (TTDC) to adopt a forward-looking strategy aimed at achieving self-reliance and generating wider employment opportunities in the state’s tea sector. He made the appeal during a review meeting held on Thursday at the Civil Secretariat, attended by senior officials of the Industries and Commerce Department and TTDC authorities.
TTDC Chairman Samir Ranjan Ghosh reported significant progress in reducing the corporation’s financial deficit, which has dropped from ₹5.4 crore in 2023–24 to ₹2.81 crore in 2024–25. He said the organisation is working towards attaining a “zero loss” status within the current financial year.
The chief minister highlighted that Tripura tea, known for its distinctive taste and aroma, must retain its quality while adopting aggressive marketing practices to boost revenue. He urged officials to push the “vocal for local” initiative by encouraging greater consumption of Tripura tea within the state.
Industry officials noted that Tripura produced 90 lakh kilograms of tea in 2024, supported by five TTDC-managed gardens, 13 cooperative estates, 36 private estates and about 2,800 small growers. In an effort to improve worker welfare, daily wages have been increased from ₹105 to ₹204. The Brahmakund Tea Processing Centre has also been upgraded, and a new small-scale processing unit has been set up at the Machmara estate in North Tripura.
Ghosh added that the corporation’s losses could have been reduced even further if it had been permitted to send tea to the auction market rather than supplying it through the public distribution system.
