Dibrugarh: The Tea Board of India has officially discontinued the Jorhat Tea Auction Centre (JTAC), also known as the Jorhat e-Marketplace, with effect from April 1, 2026, triggering concern across Upper Assam’s tea industry.
The Jorhat Tea Auction Centre was launched in May 2020 as India’s eighth tea auction centre and Assam’s second. It was inaugurated by the then Speaker of the Assam Legislative Assembly and current Jorhat MLA, Hitendra Nath Goswami.
A circular issued on March 26, 2026, by Samaresh Mondal, Controller of Licensing (In-charge), Tea Board India, confirmed the closure, citing the need for uniformity and rationalisation of regulatory oversight under a new pan-India digital auction framework.
The circular stated that the Tea Board has initiated the process of establishing a web-based tea auction platform with integrated e-commerce operations on a Build, Own, and Operate (BOO) model on a pan-India basis.
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It noted that the continuation of a separate auction model at Jorhat is “no longer considered feasible.” All sellers and buyers have been advised to participate in the existing pan-India auction system under the Tea (Marketing) Control Order, 2003.
The decision has drawn sharp criticism from tea growers and industry stakeholders, who say the move was taken without adequate consultation and could adversely impact the region’s tea economy.
“We are very unhappy with the decision because after repeated requests and demands to the Tea Board of India, the Jorhat Tea Auction Centre was launched, but now it has been shut down. We want a tea auction centre in Upper Assam,” a tea planter said.
The six contiguous districts of Upper Assam—Golaghat, Jorhat, Sivasagar, Charaideo, Dibrugarh, and Tinsukia—together produce approximately 450 million kg of tea annually.
With the closure of the Jorhat centre, growers in this belt will now have to rely solely on the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC), established in 1970 and among the busiest tea auction facilities in the world.
Last year alone, around four million kg of tea was sold through the Jorhat centre, making it the second-largest auction platform in Assam after Guwahati.
Industry stakeholders have also pointed out that most tea gardens in Assam are concentrated in Upper Assam, making the Jorhat centre geographically more accessible for a large number of growers compared to Guwahati.
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