National
Specialty Assam green tea fetches whopping price
Guwahati, Sep 11 (IANS) The tea industry in Assam has reasons to cheer after a company fetched a whopping price of Rs 5,001 per kilo for the first lot of specialty green tea produced this year.
The Mahalaxmi Tea Estate in Assam’s Golaghat district on Monday sold its first lot of specialty tea – 21 kg of specially crafted tippy Assam tea – to Ambootia Tea Exports Pvt Ltd, the largest exporter of tea to Germany and Japan.
The tea was tasted, evaluated and negotiated by Parcon (India) Pvt Ltd, one of India’s largest tea broking companies.
The Mahalaxmi Tea Estate had set up its new “Green and Specialty Tea” processing unit with brand name “Anjali” only this year. It is certified under ISO 22000:2005.
“Because of mismatch in demand and supply for CTC teas, we had decided to set up an exclusive factory for manufacturing ‘Green Tea’,” said Bidyananda Barkakoty, owner of Mahalaxmi Tea Estate.
“We adopt different manufacturing processes to make wide range of specialty teas to suit the requirement of customers.”
“The tea market has been changing across the world and it is high time India must start producing high value tea like China and other international players. As of now India’s total tea production is 1,260 million kg and 97 per cent is basically black tea,” Barkakoty added.
Expressing his happiness over fetching the price, the veteran tea planter also said that some of the Assam cultivars have the potential to make some really high value exotic tea.
“However, making the high value tea is alone not sufficient but we also need to know how to market the product. The producers in Assam lack the skills to market their product,” he added.
Sanjay Bansal, Chairman of the Ambootia Tea Group, said: “We have bought 21 kg of specialty tea for exports and we have made an agreement to buy at least 20 per cent of Mahalaxmi Tea Estate’s production for exports.”
“We will also provide them guidance from time to time to adopt Good Agricultural Practicesand Good Manufacturing Practices.”
Rajiv K. Puri, Chairman, Parcon (India) Pvt Ltd, said: “The factory is well equipped and the cultivars are suitable for manufacturing high quality teas. There is a niche market even in India for specially crafted teas.”
India’s total tea production last year was 1,250 million kg out of which Assam produced about 650 million kg.
–IANS
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National
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.