Kartika and Raidak tea gardens top Siliguri auction

Alipurduar: At the 26th tea auction in Siliguri, the highest prices per kilogram of tea leaves were achieved by two plantations in Alipurduar district among all the gardens in the North Bengal plains. Despite a crisis in the tea industry this year, Kartika Tea

Garden stood out among the 450 tea gardens and bought-leaf factories participating in the auction.

Kartika Tea Garden is located under the jurisdiction of the Samuktala Police Station in Alipurduar district. Raidak, another tea garden from the same company, also performed well. According to the Siliguri Tea Auction Centre, Kartika Tea Garden sold about 81,000 kg of tea leaves in the 26th tea auction in 2023, with the highest price reaching Rs 360 per kg. This year, they sold slightly less, around 69,000 kg of tea leaves, but achieved a higher price of Rs 389.15 per kg, the highest among the tea gardens in the plains of North Bengal.

Gyanesh Kumar Singh, Manager of Kartika Tea Garden, said: “We have always produced high-quality tea. The same standard has been maintained for the last 12 years. The teamwork of the entire tea garden is behind our success.

Every tea worker should pluck leaves according to specific rules, ensure proper irrigation, use proper fertilisers, prepare tea according to specific standards and send it to the market. This year, we have already lost the production of the first and second flushes. Now, with the heavy rains, we are relieved to get a better price in the auction.”

Meanwhile, Raidak Tea Garden also achieved the second highest price in auction number 26. Raidak authorities stated that they work throughout the year according to the rules. Chinmay Dhar, North Bengal chairman of the Tea Association of India, said: “Congratulations to Kartika and Raidak tea plantations. Despite extreme weather conditions, we are hopeful that the tea industry will recover in the next four months.”