Self Help Group to sell CTC tea

Do not be surprised if a member of a self-help group (SHG) rings your doorbell soon, selling branded and packed CTC tea.

The state panchayat affairs and rural development department, in association with Focin, has come up with a plan to involve SHGs in blending, packaging and selling tea across Bengal.

Focin secretary Biswajit Das said tea merchandising was a lucrative option, “considering the huge difference between auction or garden prices and market prices”. “So we thought of including SHGs in the merchandising process,” he added.

The project will start with Jagriti Mahila Unnayan Sangha, a cluster of 30 SHGs with 10-12 members each. The groups are already doing business with various other products in the Champasari village panchayat area near Siliguri.

“A society will be formed to obtain a licence from Tea Board of India to purchase tea and get a VAT registration,” Das said. “The packaging machines will be set up after that.”

Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad has agreed to provide space on its campus for the packaging and blending unit. “We appreciate the concept,” said parishad sabhadhipati Moni Thapa.

Initially, tealeaves will be procured from estates in the Terai. “But once sales pick up, leaves will be purchased from auctions, too,” said P. Roy, the project director of the district rural development cell in Siliguri. The cell will provide funds for the machinery.

Efforts will be made to hone the marketing skills of the SHG members as well. “Experts from Bengal National Chambers of Commerce and Industries are expected to train them. We have also roped in an expert blender and a reputed tea garden in the venture,” Das said.

The rural development cell and Focin will also utilise their own resources to help the SHGs market their produce. “We have 1.8 lakh SHGs across the state,” Roy said. “If we mobilise the groups in districts like North Dinajpur, Malda, Howrah, Hooghly and Burdwan we will be able to capture a substantial portion of the rural market.”

Das added that the packed tea would also be promoted among the 235 Focin affiliates spread across north Bengal.

Source: The Telegraph