Kochi tea auctions to be held today

The Tea Trade Association of Cochin (TTAC) has decided to conduct auctions on Tuesday and Wednesday, which have been suspended following the 21-day lockdown.

The auctions for sale No 13 will be held on Tuesday at 10 am and Wednesday at 12 pm. The sale no 14 will be conducted on April 16 and 17. The samples of sale 14 will be ready for distribution on April 13, a press release said.

The prompt for sale 11 and 12 (including private sales) will be on April 15 as decided earlier. The warehouses will function from 10 to 3.30 pm and all those who come for delivery can be made before 3.30 pm. These timings will be in force until further notice.

It is also informed that TTAC premises will be available only to brokers in view of the social distance to be maintained.

A decision in this regard has been taken following a meeting convened by the District Collector with various stakeholders as warehousing and tea are classified as ‘essential services/goods’ and to provide assistance without any interruptions in the supply. The stakeholders are directed to issue a certificate to enable their staff/labour to travel for the work. The buyers are also requested to coordinate with the warehouses and get a time slot to take delivery to avoid overcrowding.