Sale of tea on the auction platform has started to slide in recent years. While the percentage of drop in volumes traded on the e-auction platform has not been as alarming in the South as in the North, the declining volume has been a cause of concern for industry insiders.

Tea Trade Association of Coimbatore (TTAC) has in this regard appealed to the Board to review and revamp the current pan India e-auction platform.

At the 36th Annual General Meeting of the association, Utpal Shah, Chairman, TTAC, said it was alarming to note that the percentage of sale on the auction platform showed a continuous slide since 2011, indicating poor patronage by the stakeholders.

Tea Board should consider the possibility of developing an attractive platform that would serve the larger interests of all stakeholders. The need of the hour is an improvised next generation e-auction tea trading platform with a relatively shorter turnaround time for the sellers, and a flexible purchase option for the buyers, coupled with reduced transaction time and lesser cost of marketing. This would attract more volumes on the platform, and for the Tea Board and GST Commissionerate it would mean more transparency and revenue, Shah said.

He further pointed out that some members of the trade faced difficulty in getting SGST refund and appealed that it be made online and automatic in the interest of the exporting community.

Reverting to the tea price movements at the auction centre here, he said the average price of dust grade was up 33 per cent at sale no 38 this year, compared to the year ago weekly sale; the leaf grade too rose 37 per cent to ₹103.59/kg against ₹75.33/kg.

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