India Tea Board orders 100% e-auction from April 1

The Tea Board of India (TBI) has mandated all auction centres in the country to replace the traditional open outcry system completely by electronic auctions at the latest from April 1.

The three auction centres in the South Coonoor, Coimbatore and Kochi will have to conduct all their auctions only through the electronic system from March 1, while the North Indian auction centres have been awarded a one month extension for the conversion because the progress of installation of computers there has been tardy.

While the smaller auction centres in the south have been partially testing the electronic bidding system for some time now, the real picture will only emerge once the bigger North Indian centres in Kolkata and Guwahati go online, local sources said.