AGARTALA, September 18 (TIWN): With an aim to stimulate the tea industry in Tripura, project to setup six tea processing industry is on the pipeline. Unakoti district’s Panchambari, Mailong, Jamtailnagar, Fatlikchora, Sibbari and Deorachora are the places where the tea processing units will be set up, informed a top district official of tribal welfare department. Each of the facilities will cost Rs. nine lakh fifty thousand with a total fund involvement of nearly 60 lakh.

 Tea plantation in Tripura was started under Royal Administration in the beginning of 20th Century. Tea Industry was started in Tripura by people of East Bengal unlike Assam where tea-plantation was started by British. This makes Tripura the 5th largest, among the 14 tea producing states, after Assam, West Bengal, Tamilnadu & Kerala. There is a considerable scope to increase the area under tea plantation as well as productivity. The tea currently produced in Tripura is recognised for its good blending qualities. Some plantations (like Ludhah TE, Fatikcherra TE) in the state are going for organic production of tea. With the addition of new six processing establishments the overall tea production of the state, will surely get a boost.

Meanwhile, apart from the new tea processing factories under the ‘Multi Sector Development Projects in Rural Area’ Rs. 3 crore 76 lakh has been allotted in the said district, as it has been decided in a meeting  of Unakoti Zila Parishad’s permanent committee on social justice, yesterday.  The meeting was presided over by President of the committee Tarini Mohan Sarkar.