Manik Saha pushes Tripura tea towards self-reliance as TTDC slashes losses by nearly 50 per cent

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha has called on the Tripura Tea Development Corporation (TTDC) to adopt a proactive strategy towards becoming a self-reliant organisation and focus on employment generation. 

The appeal came during a review meeting held at the Civil Secretariat on Thursday with senior officials of the Industries and Commerce Department and TTDC authorities.

According to TTDC Chairman Samir Ranjan Ghosh, the corporation has made a notable improvement in curbing losses, reducing financial deficit from ₹5.4 crore in 2023–24 to ₹2.81 crore in 2024–25. 

The chief minister stressed that Tripura tea, known for its taste and aroma, must maintain its quality while undertaking aggressive marketing to increase revenue. He also urged officials to promote the “vocal for local” initiative by ensuring higher consumption of Tripura tea within the state.

Industry officials stated that Tripura’s annual tea production in 2024 stood at 90 lakh kilograms. The state currently has five tea gardens under TTDC, 13 cooperative-run estates, 36 private estates, and around 2,800 small growers. To improve worker welfare, daily wages have been raised from ₹105 to ₹204, upgradation of the Brahmakund Tea Processing Centre has been completed, and a new small-scale processing factory has been established in the Machmara estate of North Tripura.

Ghosh added that TTDC aims to achieve a “zero loss” status during the current financial year. However, he noted that the loss could have been reduced further if the government had been allowed to send tea to the auction market instead of supplying it to the public distribution system.