Jalpaiguri, Sept. 29 -- Teas produced by North Bengal's small tea growers drew strong interest from buyers at the India Tea Innovations Expo organised by the Tea Board in Mumbai, with a speciality white tea fetching Rs 75,000 per kg and almost the entire stock of CTC tea brought by a Maynaguri-based cooperative being sold at the two-day event.
Held on September 26 and 27, the exhibition featured seven small tea growers from North Bengal, who showcased black CTC, orthodox, white, blue and green teas. Organisers said the region's products received an encouraging response from buyers and visitors.
The CTC tea produced by the Joy Jalpesh Small Tea Growers' Cooperative in Maynaguri, Jalpaiguri, emerged as a major attraction. "Almost the entire stock of Joy Jalpesh CTC tea that we took to the exhibition was sold. At the same time, we established contact with several new buyers and traders. This has created the possibility of expanding the market for Joy Jalpesh tea in the coming days," said Rajat Roy Karji, president of the District Small Tea Growers' Association.
Another highlight was speciality white tea produced by the Jamtala Mahila Group, a women-run collective from Maynaguri block. The tea was sold at Rs 75,000 per kg.
"The sale indicates that there is considerable demand in the market for high-quality speciality teas produced by small tea growers," said Bijoygopal Chakraborty, general secretary of the association.
Teas showcased by groups from Rukruka, Natunbasti and Dwarikamari also received a positive response and were sold at the exhibition.
Growers said the response has generated fresh enthusiasm in the region, where many small tea growers have traditionally depended on CTC production.
Increasingly, however, growers are diversifying into speciality varieties such as white, green, blue and orthodox teas. Direct interaction with buyers and traders at the Mumbai expo, they said, could help open new markets for these products.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.