Skip to content Skip to navigation

NETA appeals for Tea Board office shift to Guwahati

By Ritupallab Saikia |

Though Assam is the birthplace of Tea in India and about 53% of the country’s total tea is produced by Assam alone but still the Tea Board has not been headquartered in Assam and Govt. of India should take steps to shift the head office of Tea Board from Kolkata to Guwahati to serve the greater interest of people connected with tea cultivation, said Bidyananda Barkakoty, Chairman of North Eastern Tea Association (NETA) while addressing its 16th biennial general meeting today.

NETA, a leading tea association in Golaghat, Karbi-Anglong and Jorhat districts and have presence in Nagaon and Dibrugarh districts as wellmade its beginning at Golaghat in the year 1981, now represents nearly hundred Tea Gardens of Assam.

Regarding NETA’s demand for shifting the Tea Board’s head office to Guwahati, Barkakoty said that there are five statutory Commodity Boards under the Department of Commerce, Govt. of India – Tea, Coffee, Rubber, Spices and Tobacco. Except Tea Board, all other Boards are headquartered in the State where the product is mainly grown. For example, Coffee Board is headquartered in Bengaluru as Karnataka is the birthplace of coffee in India. In fact, in recent times, an increase in area of tea cultivation is taking place in Assam and other NE States. In other tea growing States of India, it is either stagnant or in a decreasing trend and as per the latest statistics of Tea Board, Assam produces 52.9% of the country’s total tea production whereas West Bengal produces 24.8%, Tamil Nadu produces 14.6%, Kerala produces 5.7%, Karnataka produces 0.5% and other States produces 1.4%. Guwahati being the gateway to the Northeast and having India’s largest tea auction centre, shifting of Tea Board head office from Kolkata to Guwahati will be a wise decision for the greater interest of the Indian tea industry.

The NETA also urged the Tea Board to make amendment in the definition of Small Tea Grower and to consider one who holds land upto 50.6 hectares as a small tea grower. Presently, as per Tea Board, a small grower is one who holds land for tea cultivation upto 10.12 hectares and as a result the the same schemes of Tea Board are applicable for a tea garden of 76 bighas and a tea garden of 12,000 bighas.

It is also informed in the meet that NETA will appeal to the Govt. of Assam to include a chapter in the school textbooks on tea and the health benefits of tea and its role in our economy and society.  

The two day meet which is being held at NETA auditorium, Golaghat, around 280 KM from Guwahati, will conclude tomorrow with a tea buyers and sellers meet where Harendra Shah, President of Federation of All India Tea Traders Association will be present as a guest of honour.

Add new comment

Random Stories

Assam gets ready for I-Day

14 Aug 2007 - 8:55am | pbaruah
Guwahati: A mammoth security is there across Assam to ensure peaceful celebration of the 60th Independenace Day fallling on Wednesday.Security forces are being fanned in all the state’s vital...

Janajati Mancha demands protections of tribal belt

19 Jun 2014 - 6:58pm | Hantigiri Narzary
The Janajati Suraksha Mancha, Kokrajhar district committee strongly condemned and termed the statement of the All Assam Minority Students Union(AAMSU) demanding dissolution of the Bodoland...

MEE Assam: July 16, 17

30 May 2016 - 9:44pm | Koushik Hazarika
Medical Entrance Examination (MEE) 2016 for admission to First Year MBBS/BDScourses in the colleges of the State of Assam shall be conducted by Dibrugarh University on 16th and 17th July, 2016 ....

Expolision Rocks Guwahati Again: 4 killed 20 injured

23 Jun 2007 - 4:21am | editor
Guwahati: A powerful bomb that explodes in the city on Saturday morning leaves four people dead besides more than twenty injured.he explosion took place at Machkhowa and that too in front of a mosque...

Other Contents by Author

Dist. Judge of Golaghat passes away

The district and sessions judge of Golaghat Pratap Kumar Roy (59) died after suffering from cardiac arrest at 7 am Thursday morning. Justice Roy, who returned to his residence after completing the court proceedings in the evening, complained of chest pain later in the night and was immediately rushed to Golaghat Civil Hospital. Roy joined as a district and session judge of Golaghat on 26th August, 2010. The judicial magistrates and court staff of Golaghat district judiciary, the Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police Golaghat and members of Golaghat Bar Association condoled the unexpected demise of Justice Roy and paid their last respect. Later his body was taken to his original...

Story of nocturnal siblings of Merapani

Merapani, the small border town nestled in the Assam-Nagaland Border in Golaghat district has curved a niche for itself as hub of controversy and mystery. Be it inter-state border tension or social issues Merapani always finds mention in the headlines. This time Merapani is in news for something very mysterious and unusual. Four youngsters Dibedhar(20), Moniram (18), Nirada (15) and Haren (12) all siblings born of Purneswar Sonowal and Anima Sonowal have been leading an unusual lifestyle that reminds one of the primitive cavemen. They avoid daylight like sin and prefer to stay indoors. They have built their own exclusive world within the four walls of their humble hut. They can be aptly...

Foulplay suspected behind death at Garampani

A pall of gloom replaced merrymaking at Garompani, the famous hot water spring at Karbi Anglong district when Birbol Gowala’s (50) body was discovered floating in the spring. Gowala who was an employee of Borpathar Railway Station had come to Garompani with his colleagues for picnic yesterday and in the afternoon his colleagues were informed by somebody that a body was seen floating in the water of the spring and when everybody arrived at the spot, the body was identified as of Gowala’s. Then his colleagues called up 108 and Gowala was taken to Kushal Konwar Civil Hospital, Golaghat where the doctors declared him dead. However, Gowala’s death has raised many questions...

Golaghat Press Club pays homage to Prahlad Gowala

Members of Golaghat Press Club (GPC) led by its working president Bikas Sarma and General Secretary Diganta kr. Bhuyan today visited the residence of late journalist Prahlad Gowala and pay homage on the occasion of his sixth death anniversary by lightning earthen lamps at the memorial stone of late Gowala. A memorial meeting was also held at his residence which was presided over by Bikas Sarma, working president of GPC. Speaking on the occasion Sarma said that when the CID failed to properly investigate the murder of late Gowala then the state government announced a CBI investigation but till date the government failed to hand over the investigation to the CBI. He further urges the state...

National Seminar on Look East Policy and North East held at Golaghat

A national level UGC sponsored seminar on “Look East Policy and North East India” was held at DR College auditorium today. The seminar was organized by the Economics department of Debraj Roy College, Golaghat in association with Vox-Populi, an NGO. The open session of the workshop was presided over by Devojit Phukan, associate professor of the college. The welcome address was being given by Proip Kumar Saikia, Principal D.R. College. In the seminar Dr. Sunil Kr. Saikia, Head Center for Enterprise Development and Management, Indian Institue of Entrepreneurship (IIE), Prabhat Bezboruah, prominent tea cultivator and Director of Bokaholla Tea Co. Ltd and Bidyananda Barkakoty,...

Cooch Behar Trophy (U-19) match underway at Golaghat

The four day cricket match between Assam and Orissa in Cooch Behar Trophy (U19) has kicked off today morning at Golaghat Stadium. Assam team led by Wasiqur Rahman, won the toss and decided to bat first. It put up 209 runs on the board losing all their wickets in 68.3 overs. Sasank Negi top scored for his side with a total of 78 runs. The main contributors of bowling first were Suryakant Pradhan who took 3 wickets conceding 39 runs and Priyotosh Parmanik who took 3 wickets conceding 47 runs. In reply Orissa scored 57 runs losing 3 wickets at the end of today’s play. In bowling Amlan Jyoti Barua took 2 wickets and Jogeswar Bhumij took 1 wicket for Assam. Orissa team is being led by...

Couple convicted under NDPS Act

The court of district and sessions judge P.K. Roy today convicted a couple under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. While pronouncing the order, the court sentenced 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment to Keverji Ngoupumi and Daphro Lakhro. The court also slapped a fine of Rs 1 lakh each to both the accused. While talking to Assamtimes. Nilopadma Acharjee, Public Prosecutor for the trial said that the couple was arrested by Golaghat police on 20th December 2009 in the Rangajan area of Golaghat Dist. along with 101 Kgs of Ganjas being carried in a Gypsy bearing No. NL-04/3985. He further told that the couple belongs to Senapati District of Nagaland. Meanwhile,...

Gorkhas to calll vadgawley Gorkha cap as ‘Bhupen Da Gorkha Topi’

In a significant move to keep the memories of Dr. Bhupen Hazrika alive among his admirers, the All Assam Gorkha Students’ Union (AAGSU) the apex organization of Gorkha youths and students of Assam appeals the Indian Gorkha population and across the globe to call the black coloured embossed spotted Vadgawley Gorkha hat worn by Dr. Bhupen Hazarika for life time as ‘Bhupen Da Gorkha Topi’ henceforth to pay true homage and tribute to the legend who for lifetime wore this particular cap on head top. In a press release issued by Nanda Kirati Dewan information and publicity secretary of AAGSU said , ‘Gorkhas in Assam henceforth will call black coloured embossed spotted...

Bhupen-da’s admirer preserved his footprints taken in his lifetime

When every efforts are being made to preserve the memory of musical maestro Late Bhupen Hazarika, a family in Golaghat has been preserving the footprint of Dr. Hazarika for the last 18 years. Late Ghana Bora, a painter by profession who breathed his last in 2004 had taken Dr. Hazarika’s footprints way back in 1993 when the maestro had visited Golaghat for a felicitation programme held at Amateur Theatre Hall. The oil painting in which the footprints were taken was signed by the maestro himself. Late Bora had mentioned in his diary dt. 18-09-1993, that his life was blessed as he was able to collect the footprints of the living legend Dr. Hazarika in his lifetime. It is worth...

Bhupen Hazarika era demanded

At the time when the people of are Assam are mourning the death musical maestro Dr. Bhupen Hazarika, prominent columnist, author and President of Golaghat Zilla Sahitya Sabha, Keshob Saikia today expressed his views that an era in modern assamese literature should be named after Dr. Hazarika. Saikia said that, Dr. Hazrika was not only a singer and composer but also an eminent literary genius and it would be a befitting tribute to the maestro if we can name the post Ramdhenu Era in modern assamese literature as Bhupen Hazrika Era. Through his songs he was able to bind together the countless indigenous folk literature and contributed towards the growth of an exclusive class of literature....