Overview
- Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Friday that commercial Matcha production has started at Chota Tingrai Tea Estate and a five‑kilogram inaugural lot sold at the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre for Rs 3,000 per kg.
- The production launch follows about ten years of India‑Japan collaboration that transferred specialised machinery, cultivation techniques and Matcha processing know‑how to Assam estates.
- The Assam government is promoting the shift to speciality teas through the Assam Tea Industries Special Incentive Scheme, which provided benefits worth Rs 94.70 crores to 486 gardens this financial year.
- Matcha is made from shade‑grown tea leaves that are finely ground into a powder and consumed whole, a process that raises antioxidant content and positions the product as a higher‑value, wellness‑oriented tea.
- Broader commercial success will depend on scaling output, maintaining strict quality and processing standards, securing export certifications, and sustaining buyer demand so growers can capture higher returns.