From Sudip Sharma Chowdhury
Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC) has sold special varieties of tea leaf manohari gold at Rs 75,000 per kilogram in an auction held amidst the Corona virus epidemic. This is the highest ever priced at the record rate this year. He said that after a gap of one year, GTAC had the opportunity to sell the manohari gold tea leaf of Rs 75,000 a kilo.
Dinesh Bihani, secretary, Guwahati Tea Auction Buyers Organisation, said that the sale was made by Contemporary Brokers Pvt Ltd and was bought by Vishnu Tea Company, a Guwahati-based tea trader.Rajan Lohia, director of Manohari tea plantation in Dibrugarh district of eastern Assam, told reporters that two and a half kilos of tea was produced this year, out of which 1.2 kg was sold in an auction on Thursday. “The remaining tea will be available at select shops including guwahati tea auction centre lounge as demand for one of the rarest teas in the world continues to grow,” he said. The tea was sold by Contemporary Brokers Pvt. Ltd. and was purchased by Vishnu Tea Company, Guwahati. They will sell tea around the world on their e-commerce website . So what’s special about this tea? Lohia said that this tea is constructed from the finest second flush Colonel tea buds, which are tied to the hands in the morning.
Dinesh Bihani, secretary of guwahati tea auction buyers association, called it a hope amid the global epidemic and its impact on the Assam tea industry. “When the whole world is affected, the Manohari Tea Estate has made extra efforts to produce this specialty tea in September and sent it to GTAC for sale. It will definitely offer a positive vibe for the tea industry,” he said. Lockdown and floods for anti-CAA movement, Kovid-19 in December-January This monsoon had a serious impact on Assam tea and industry bodies were likely to lose over Rs 1,000 crore so far. Vishnu T Company will sell this tea leaf worldwide through its digital e-commerce website NineAMT.com. “When the whole world is affected by the epidemic, it is a great achievement. Manohari Tea Estate has worked hard for this particular type of production in September and sent it to GTAC for sale,” he said.