- Abhijit Nath, NET Correspondent, Tripura
Agartala, February 20, 2022 : Tripura Tea Development Corporation (TTDC) has initiated an innovative attempt of converting its coal based tea factories into gas based processing units aiming to cut down manufacturing and packaging cost on per kilos of made tea.
About 12 kms away from the heart of Agartala city, two factories owned by the Corporation at Durgabari Tea Estate are going to start functioning with natural gas from March-April, 2022.
Speaking to Northeast Today, Gopal Chakraborty, one of the board of directors of the TTDC and chief advisor to Durgabari Tea Estate said “Tripura Tea Development Corporation has signed an agreement with Tripura Natural Gas Corporation Limited on January 09, 2022 for supplying of natural gas for production of made tea”.
“The laying of pipes shall start within a week’s span and installation works of gas-based ovens are advancing in full swing. It is expected that the left works are on the edge of completion. The gas based plant will definitely cut down manufacturing cost and which in turn shall amplify the gross profit”, said Chakraborty labelling this progress as a comprehensive drive.
Explaining the existing and upcoming manufacturing procedure, the Board of Director said “A little more than a kilo of coal is required to manufacture one kilo of made tea (term used for the finished product) and 800 to 900 grams of coal is burnt for a kilo of made tea if the combustible black rock is of good quality which is almost extinct in the market. If both the factories are completely transformed into green energy based plants then the corporation can earn an extra profit of 10 percent”.
He said “In total, 13 lakh kilos of tea was produced per annum in both the factories last year while a total of 210 small tea growers are registered under Durgabari Tea Estate and they are delivering raw leaves.”