Arunachal tea variety fetches record Rs 40,000 per kg

Guwahati: A tea variety from Arunachal Pradesh has fetched a world record price of Rs 40,000 per kg at Guwahati Tea Auction Centre here breaking the record of an Assam tea variety auctioned last month.

A 1.1 kg lot of Golden Needles tea variety of Donyi Polo tea estate in Arunachal Pradesh sold at Rs 40,000 per kg yesterday, said a statement by Dinesh Bihani, Secretary of Guwahati Tea Auction Buyers Association.

The tea variety was sold to Assam Tea Traders, which is one of the oldest tea shop in Guwahati. In July, an Assam tea variety was sold at Rs 39,001 per kg at an auction here.

"These types of specialty teas are attracting more and more buyers and producers to come together and use the GTAC platform. We hope that these specialty teas will make us achieve our past glory in the world map," Bihani said in the statement.

Assam Tea Traders Lalit Kumar Jalan was quoted as saying in the statement, "There is a rising demand for good tea and we are selling specialty tea regularly. "This Golden Needles will be sold through an online platform, Absolutetea.in."

The Golden Needles variety of tea has small buds which are carefully plucked and the leaves, which have a coating of golden colour, are soft and velvety. The liquor of this special tea is bright golden in colour, sweet to taste and has a rich aroma, Bihani said.

The manager of Donyi Polo tea estate, Manoj Kumar said, they made a lot of effort to make this type of tea and earlier their Silver Needles white tea had fetched Rs 17,001 per kg. Kumar further said that such type of tea is made only when natural forces align with precise tea making skills.