The first auction of three thousand tea bags occurred on July 16, 1949. Since 1985, this auction has happened weekly, showing its long-lasting tradition in the tea industry.


The British began growing tea in Chittagong in 1840. Auctions have been a part of this region's history for less than two centuries. During the British era, London and Calcutta auctioned off this region's tea for sale. Following India's division, the first-ever tea auction occurred in Chittagong on July 16, 1949. As a result, Chittagong's 75-year tea sale concluded yesterday, Tuesday.

Chittagong, Bangladesh, was the first place to grow tea during the British era, but it later spread to Sylhet. Chittagong nevertheless set up the first auction facility. Tea-growing business owners explained that establishing a railway link with Chittagong port led to the shipment of most of the area's tea, including Sylhet, through the port. This included building several facilities, such as tea storage specifically for Chittagong. Since Chittagong is the infrastructure hub, the auction center is located there. We hold this auction every Monday at Progressive Tower in Agrabad, Chittagong, after visiting several other locations.

The first tea auction was organized by the current "National Brokers Limited." According to the organization's website, an auction center was established in Chittagong in 1947 after India's partition. The Bangladesh region (formerly East Pakistan) did not have an auction center then. The National Brokers Limited, formerly Pakistan Brokers Limited, was founded on June 6, 1948, by five well-known individuals to market tea from the area. Among the founders was Khan Bahadur Mujibur Rahman and four other Europeans. Khan Bahadur Mujibur Rahman's son, Late Latifur Rahman, founded Transcom Group.

On July 16, 1949, one year after establishing the intermediate organization for tea sales, Chittagong hosted its first tea auction. The first auction featured three thousand tea bags. Since 1985, the auctions have shifted from biweekly to weekly one-day sessions. Currently, the Tea Board supervises the Tea Traders Association of Bangladesh (TTAB), which holds this auction.

The tea grown here was auctioned off in London even after the auction facility opened in Chittagong. This pattern persisted throughout the Bangladeshi era, too. This is because the British maintained control over the majority of tea cultivation up until the 1990s. The Pakistan Tea Association's 1952 annual report states that the auction facility in Chittagong sold 198,428 bags of tea two years after it opened. London auctions sold 211,705 tea bags that same year. According to the Bangladeshi Tea Association's brochure, they last auctioned Bangladeshi tea in London in 1993. The auction featured 98,000 kg of Seva tea.

Significant changes have occurred over the course of 75 years of tea auctions. Initially, exports accounted for the majority of the auctioned tea. However, due to rising national consumption, most of the tea purchased from the auction is currently being marketed domestically. We have also conducted online test auctions. Currently, three tea auction centers are operating throughout the country.

The Tea Board reports that, following 69 years of operation of the auction center in Chittagong, the second international auction center opened in Srimangal in 2018; the third auction center started in Panchagarh in 2023. Nevertheless, the Chittagong auction still sells the majority of tea.
After production, the only commodity required for sale is tea. However, plantation owners can market their own tea if they so choose by paying a 25 percent tax. Authorization from the tea board is required to do this.

Once again, import and export are subject to approval by the Tea Board.
The current auction season represents the most significant shift in the history of tea auctions. We have also set the minimum price for the auction to prevent the price of tea from dropping. In this season's auction, the gardeners receive a decent price for their tea.

The British introduced tea cultivation to the subcontinent. Everything was under their control: plantation ownership, marketing, exports, and tea cultivation. Bengali company owners progressively entered the tea industry, even though they constructed various infrastructures by hand. There are already a few European businesses that operate tea plantations, but native entrepreneurs control the majority of this industry. 

 

Article Reference: prothomalo.com/business/2bz77x48hx

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