New Delhi: A hand-rolled orthodox tea variety from Tripura has been sold for Rs 12,500 per kilogram, the highest rate ever in the state. Sold under the brand name of Neermahal, the tea is produced in a factory run by a cooperative society.
According to Diganta Barman, a member of the Tripura Tea Development Corporation board, Amritsar-based Shahjada Export Limited bought a consignment of this specially prepared tea to export it to markets in Denmark and the Gulf countries.
For hand-rolled tea, the plucked leaves are first spread out in a thin layer and allowed to wither. Each leaf and bud or two leaves and a bud are then rolled gently in the palms of hands.
Sumedha Das, owner of Neermahal Tea, has said the exporters took interest in the hand-rolled tea after a sample was sent to them.
“This is the highest price that Tripura tea has ever fetched. Earlier, the price touched the limit of Rs 10,000 but this time it has reached Rs 12,500,” Das added.
Manipur’s one of first strawberry farmers sells the fruit for Rs 600/kg
Around five years ago, Takhellambam Zico took to farming strawberries, a crop not many in his state cultivated at the time. Today, the farmer from Manipur’s Imphal East district sells the fruit for as high as Rs 600 a kilo.
Zico, a resident of Kongba Nongthombam Leikai and one of the first strawberry farmers in the state, had started with 10,000 saplings. He now has over 56,000 strawberry plants in his 4-acre farm.
“Since I wasn’t sure about the climatic condition for strawberry farming in our state, I started with a tissue culture plant with the help of one of the farms from Pune,” Zico told EastMojo.
Zico today employs 12 full-time workers, including two families who stay at his farm as caretakers. He pays the families around Rs 12,000 each month.
He also said each plant harvests around 1.5 kg of strawberry every year. Zico has plans to have at least 1 lakh plants, and he wants to expand his business beyond Manipur.
Also read: In Assam’s tea gardens, wages a poll issue. But workers also want good roads, clean water
3 models from NE make ‘history’ on the ramp
Three contestants from the Northeast have bagged top spots in the recently-held Rubaru Mr India pageant in Goa. The title of Rubaru Mr India Global 2020-21 has been grabbed by Tseteej Shiwakoty from Sikkim, while Songashim Rungsung from Manipur bagged the title of Rubaru Mr India United Continents 2020-21 and Tumken Sora from Arunachal Pradesh won Rubaru Mr India Brand Ambassador 2020-21 title.
The official page of Rubaru Mr India took to Instagram to congratulate the winners. It posted: “The 3 History Makers from the Northeast….These 3 very good looking gentlemen marked their respective state’s debut at Rubaru Mr. India competition this year…This has happened for the very first in the history of Indian pageantry (sic).”
The men will now represent India in international pageants across the globe.
Shiwakoty, a former Mr Sikkim Manhunt Kanchenjunga winner, has been quoted as saying, “When I was competing in Mr Sikkim, there were locals around. So, it was comfortable as the language was the same. But in Mr India, everyone was from a different culture or upbringing. It was diverse and so was the competition.”
Bodo film on Assam insurgency gets over 1.2 lakh views in a day on YouTube
Rajni Basumatary’s Bodo language film ‘Jwlwi – The Seed’ garnered over 1.2 lakh views within 24 hours of its release on YouTube on 8 April. Based on insurgency in Assam during the 1990s, the critically-acclaimed film deals with the struggles of families who lost their loved ones during the tumultuous period.
The film was initially released at select theatres in western Assam on 15 November 2019.
“A number of people were asking me where to watch Jwlwi – The Seed. I am glad that me and my co-producer took this decision to release the film on YouTube. Now you can watch the film for free,” Basumatary has been quoted as saying.
Also read: Why turmeric, your go-to spice in the year of Covid, is going to be more expensive in 2021