States » EastPosted at: Sep 30 2026 4:37PM


Siliguri Tea Auction Centre to hold Golden Jubilee special tea auction, Rs 11 lakh for WB CM’s Relief Fund

Siliguri, Sep 30 (UNI) The Siliguri Tea Auction Centre (STAC), which has played a significant role in the growth of Siliguri as a major tea-trading hub, will organise a special tea auction on October 2 to mark its Golden Jubilee, with Rs 11 lakh from the initiative earmarked for the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
The special auction is being organised as part of the 50-year celebrations of the Siliguri Tea Auction Committee and will showcase premium teas contributed by producer members. The initiative will also highlight the long association between Siliguri and the tea trade and its contribution to the economic growth of the region.
Secretary, STAC, Radha Thapa, said the special auction was being organised both to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of the centre and to make a contribution to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. The auction will feature premium teas from producer members, with buyers and sellers also being recognised for their participation.
The Siliguri Tea Auction Centre was inaugurated on October 29, 1976, as the sixth tea auction centre in India. The inauguration was attended by then West Bengal Chief Minister Siddhartha Shankar Ray, along with Central and State ministers.
The inauguration itself had a strong charitable dimension. A ceremonial auction featured 102 lots of tea, and the proceeds were donated to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. A silver auction hammer used during the inaugural ceremony was also auctioned and fetched Rs 1.06 lakh, with the proceeds being donated to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
The history of STAC is closely linked with the transformation of Siliguri. According to the centre’s 1976 annual report, Siliguri was then a small railway town surrounded by forests and paddy fields, with tea, timber, railways and government service gradually shaping its economy and bringing about its transformation after Independence, according to booklet published by the STAC.
The vision behind STAC was not limited to conducting tea auctions. Land was acquired at Mallaguri for developing a modern Tea Complex where tea producers, brokers and warehouse operators could function together. The STAC building that emerged from this collective effort subsequently became an important landmark in Siliguri’s tea-trading identity.
In its first year, despite having only about two months of auction activity, the centre sold around 2.7 million kg of tea, with the average price recorded at Rs 11.05 per kg.
Five decades later, STAC is returning to its charitable roots with the Golden Jubilee auction. Besides the Rs 11 lakh contribution to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, awards will be presented to leading buyers and sellers participating in the special auction, while certificates of participation will be given to sellers, brokers and buyers.
The October 2 event will thus mark not only 50 years of tea auctions in Siliguri, but also the journey of an institution that has grown alongside the city and its tea trade.
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Tags: #Siliguri Tea Auction Centre to hold Golden Jubilee special tea auction# Rs 11 lakh for WB CM’s Relief Fund
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