March 31: Jalpaiguri Tea Auction Centre to reopen after a decade

Jalpaiguri: The long wait is finally over as the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in collaboration with the Tea Board, announced the reopening of the Jalpaiguri Tea Auction Centre on March 31. A mock tea leaf auction is scheduled for March 10 to test the system. The auction will resume with auction number 14 at the Shivaji Road-based centre, as confirmed by the Tea Board in an official e-mail to the auction committee. The decision has sparked optimism within the tea industry.

Established in 2005, the Jalpaiguri Tea Auction Centre was inaugurated in 2008 by then minister Nirupam Sen. However, a decline in tea supply led to its stagnation, culminating in its closure in August 2014. Since then, multiple stakeholders, including Purajit Bakshi Gupta, vice-chairman of the Auction Committee and Tea Board member, Sanjay Dhanuti, chairman of the Task Force for reopening the center, Jalpaiguri MP Jayanta Roy and Trinamool district president Krishna Kalyani, have consistently pushed for its revival. Purajit Bakshi Gupta stated: “I have been advocating for the reopening of the Jalpaiguri Tea Auction Center for over a decade. On Friday, the Tea Board confirmed that mock auctions will begin on March 10, followed by the full-fledged auction process from March 31. Necessary infrastructure renovations will be carried out swiftly. This is a moment of great joy for the tea industry.”

Task Force chairman Sanjay Dhanuti credited the reopening to collective efforts, adding: “Our 11-year-long struggle has finally yielded results. We are grateful to MP Jayanta Roy, whose support was instrumental in this achievement.”

Bijaygopal Chakraborty, president of the Confederation of Indian Small Tea Growers Association, said: “The reopening of the auction center is excellent news.

It will significantly benefit small tea growers and bought leaf factories by providing a direct avenue for tea sales.” Preparations will begin on March 5 with the tea sale catalog upload. Vendor listings will be completed by March 7, followed by a mock auction on March 10. The live auction process is set to officially begin on March 31, marking a new chapter for the Jalpaiguri tea industry.