Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: Assam’s tea industry has funneled 2.26 crore into the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to aid flood victims. The Tea Association of India organized a special charity auction at the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre, which generated 1.61 crore. Businessman Hemant Bangur added another 65 lakh to the total. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma attended the event. He hammered 12 ceremonial lots that fetched 99.51 lakh.
Major buyers descended on Guwahati for the event, traveling from Mumbai, Surat, Ahmedabad, and Delhi. Society Tea led the pack with 26.10 lakh in purchases. Wagh Bakri followed with 24.04 lakh. Other notable participants included Today Tea, Jivraj Tea, and Uphaar. The entire supply chain chipped in. Producers donated tea, while brokers and warehouses waived their standard fees to ensure the money went to flood relief.
Minister for Transformation and Development, Labour Welfare and Tea Tribes and Adivasi Welfare Rameswar Teli, Chief Secretary Ravi Kota, and various government officials attended the auction. TAI senior vice-president Mohit Agarwal noted that the response proved the industry’s willingness to support those affected by the floods.
Separately, Sarma discussed his digital presence on October 4. He claimed his social media posts gain high engagement because people value his performance. He argued that the public will turn against him if his work suffers. Regarding the intent behind his posts, he said, “I can post, but how can I explain the underlying message within the post? That is for you to interpret.” He added that some of his Instagram posts have hit 10 million views.
The auction highlights the growing reach of the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre. Between April 1 and September 25, 2026, the centre sold over 106 million kg of tea at an average price of 241 per kg. The government recently updated the Assam Tea Industries Special Incentives Scheme to boost exports and promote specialty varieties like the Pu’er-style tea that sold for 12,000 per kg in September.
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