The Tea Board of India has officially discontinued the Jorhat Tea Auction Centre (JTAC), also known as the Jorhat e-Marketplace, effective April 1, 2026. This decision has sparked widespread concern among tea growers and industry stakeholders across Assam.
Official Circular and Rationale
A circular issued on March 26, 2026, by Samaresh Mondal, Controller of Licensing (In-charge) at the Tea Board India, confirmed the closure. The circular stated that the Tea Board is establishing a new web-based tea auction platform with integrated e-commerce operations under a Build, Own, and Operate (BOO) model on a pan-India basis. As a result, 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 provisions of the Tea (Marketing) Control Order, 2003.
Industry Reaction
The closure has drawn sharp criticism from tea growers and industry stakeholders, who argue that it was taken without adequate consultation and is a significant blow to Assam's tea sector. Last year alone, growers sold approximately four million kilograms of tea through the Jorhat centre, making it the second largest auction platform in Assam after Guwahati. Assam Bought Leaf Tea Manufacturer's Association (ABLTMA) president Chand Kumar Gohain called the decision shortsighted. He stated, "Closing the only auction centre in upper Assam, which is the heartland of India's tea production, without providing an adequate alternative is deeply unfair to thousands of small and large growers who depended on it."
Geographic Concerns
Stakeholders are calling for the decision to be reconsidered, arguing that any rationalisation of auction infrastructure should account for production volumes and geographic realities, not just administrative convenience. Most of Assam's tea gardens are concentrated in upper Assam, making the Jorhat centre geographically far more accessible for a large proportion of the state's growers than the Guwahati centre.
Background of Jorhat Tea Auction Centre
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. The implementing agency was mjunction Services, India's largest B2B e-commerce company and a 50:50 joint venture promoted by SAIL and Tata Steel. Its launch was celebrated as a long-overdue recognition of the needs of upper Assam's vast tea-growing community.
Impact on Upper Assam
The six contiguous districts of upper Assam — Golaghat, Jorhat, Sivasagar, Charaideo, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia — together produce approximately 450 million kilograms of tea annually. The closure of the Jorhat centre means that growers in this vast belt must now depend solely on the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC), which was established in 1970 and is one of the busiest tea auction facilities in the world.
Industry voices have expressed disappointment and urged the Tea Board to reconsider the decision, emphasizing the need for a more inclusive approach that considers the interests of small and large growers alike.
