Guwahati: Teapreneurs from Gujarat interacted with the tea producers from Mokalbari Tea Estate in Dibrugarh to boost tea's industrial demand.

The Tea Association of India, in collaboration with the Tea Forum of India, Gujarat, hosted a buyer-seller meet at Mokalbari Tea Estate in Dibrugarh.

The Tea Association of India (TAI) represents tea producers in Assam, West Bengal, and Sikkim, whereas the Tea Forum of India represents major packeters in Gujarat.

The Tea Forum of India delegation, chaired by Nidesh Shah, had 30 packeters, most of whom were young entrepreneurs.

According to TAI President Ajay Jalan, the goal of the meeting, in addition to exchanging ideas to improve the Tea Industry, was also an information tour on Assam Tea for the delegation's young entrepreneurs who were visiting Assam for the first time.

The celebration was held by the Association's President at his Mokalbari Tea Estate in Dibrugarh, and tea growers from Dibrugarh and Tinsukia also attended.

The Mokalbari Management prepared a field trip for the delegation. The group was informed about numerous tea bushes clones, plucking methods, practises to upkeep and manage the tea estate, and the obstacles experienced in the field in producing excellent teas during the field tour.

The field trip was followed by a visit to the Mokalbari Orthodox tea mill. The buyer delegation, which mostly deals in CTC teas, was very interested in orthodox teas and the production process. Many people were eager to work on raising knowledge of traditional tea drinking in India, which is largely exported to other parts of the world.

The party then paid a visit to the Mokalbari CTC facility, where they took an active interest in the production of CTC teas.

The field and factory visits were followed by a tea tasting session with samples from several manufacturers. The purchasers discussed with the farmers the quality characteristics that they evaluate when purchasing tea.

The event concluded with an exchange of ideas on how to further boost the tea industry. Both buyers and sellers agreed that tea consumption in India is low and that there is an urgent need to increase tea consumption. One strategy to increase tea consumption is to promote tea in general, emphasising its health advantages. The buyer group had many questions about the operation and management of Tea Estates and were astounded to learn about the magnitude of the effort that goes into making a cup of tea.

More similar buyer-seller meetings, according to the delegation, are needed in the future to boost the tea business.