Guwahati, April 27: In a major move for the Indian tea industry, three regional associations — Nilgiris Bought Leaf Tea Manufacturers Association, North Bengal Tea Producers Welfare Association, and Assam Bought Leaf Tea Manufacturers Association (ABLTMA) — have united to form the Federation of Indian Tea Manufacturers Association (FITMA). The new national body will represent the interests of over 525 factories producing 615 million kilograms of tea annually.
Deven Singh and Vikas Mandhania from ABLTMA were elected as the first chairman and secretary of FITMA. The federation will engage with governments, the Tea Board of India, and other stakeholders to promote the small tea growers and bought leaf industry.
The announcement was made during the “Dil Se – Bought Leaf – Kal Aaj aur Kal” Townhall hosted by Deven Singh in Dibrugarh, where industry leaders including Rajdeep Sikand (Tata Consumer Products), Nilesh Choudhury (Hindustan Unilever), and Paras Desai (Wagh Bakri) participated. Singh highlighted the sector’s rapid growth, now accounting for about 55% of India’s tea production in just 40 years.
Participants discussed a SWOT analysis of the bought leaf industry and stressed the need for FITMA to take a leadership role in protecting millions of livelihoods, promoting small growers, and ensuring quality supply to consumers.
At the event, Singh also announced “Mission 1K” — a national initiative to increase India’s annual per capita tea consumption from 862 grams to 1,000 grams. Tea Board Executive Director Arunita Phukan Yadav launched the campaign’s sticker — “Mission 1K – Chai Piyo Mauj Mein Raho” — in English, Hindi, Gujarati, and Marathi.
The programme also featured a buyer felicitation ceremony, an exhibition of tea industry vendors, and cultural performances including Sattriya, folk, and Bihu dances. Over 500 participants attended from across the tea sector.
Separately, ABLTMA held its annual general meeting during the event, celebrating its 30th anniversary. Chand Kumar Gohain was elected the new chairman for the 2025–2028 term. The meeting paid tribute to the victims of the Pahalgam terrorist attack and honoured Late CA Narendra Tibrewal’s family for his early contributions to ABLTMA.
The evening concluded with the Axom Binandini Award being presented to Rameshbai Patel for five decades of support to Assam’s tea industry, and the Prakriti Ratna Bota awarded to Padmashri Jadav Payeng, “The Forest Man of India,” for his environmental contributions. The event closed with the singing of the National Anthem.
