[Correspondent]
PASIGHAT, May 21: The first United Nations (UN) International Tea Day was observed at Sille Public Health Centre (PHC) in East Siang district on Thursday.
In 2019, the United Nations recognized the importance of one of the world’s oldest beverages. The UN has said tea has medicinal value and has a potential of bringing health benefits to people.
On the occasion of the International Tea Day, Siang Tea Industries Ltd, set up at Oyan in East Siang, auctioned its green tea products to nine bidders across the country in order to provide support to micro credit of public-private partnership run Sille PHC.
Bohagi Advisory of Gurgaon, Absolute Tea of Guwahati, Singh & Singh Enterprise of Pasighat, RN Associates of Jonai (Assam) and six other trading agencies have come forward to buy tea from Siang Tea Industrial Ltd.
Attending the programme, Managing Director of Siang Tea Industries Ltd, Omak Apang said that objective of UN International Tea Day is to raise awareness among global communities about the economic significance of tea and to tell them about health benefits of drinking tea on regular basis.
“Drinking tea is linked to a number of health benefits. Researchers suggest that tea contains natural ingredients that may help reduce the risk of various ailments. With the initiative, we are trying to revive economic livelihood in rural areas during the Covid-19 lockdown”, Apang said.
Apang, who earlier served as union minister of state, foresees that people of Siang Valley, including Jonai of bordering Assam may earn economic livelihood through tea cultivation and involvement with industrial activities in the tea sector.
Sille Oyan Circle Officer Dr Heera Panggeng, in her address, said such celebration would focus on economic importance of tea among the people. She hoped that the Siang Tea Company’s efforts would enable the commercial horticulturists to join the green revolution through tea cultivation for their economic self-sustenance.
Among others, local tea farmers, members of Oyan Woman SHG and Himalayan Institute of Global Skill, Manager of Donyi Polo Tea Estate T Darang and Sille PHC staff participated in the programme.
Tea business in Donyi Polo Tea Estate (run under Siang Tea Industries Ltd) was battered due to covid-19 lockdown as plucking of young tea leaves and processing activities were put on halt. However, the woman SHG members of the locality led by entrepreneur Aitoki Doley rendered physical labour for revival of industrial activities.
