The three-day e-auction at the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC) has fetched a record average price amid the ongoing lockdown.

GTAC secretary Priyanuz Dutta told The Telegraph that they sold 3.80 million kg of tea at an average price of Rs 273.50 a kg.

“The average price fetched was the best in GTAC’s history. The work-from-home experiment also passed off without any hitch. On the inaugural day, we sold 1.83 kg tea at an average price of Rs 272. We are very happy at the turn of events despite the lockdown,” Dutta said.

The GTAC started functioning in September 1970, while the e-auction was launched in 2010. This was the first time sales were conducted from home.

A tea industry insider said the sales will give a huge boost to the state tea sector as there was a 50 per cent crop loss because of heavy rains and the ongoing lockdown.

Assam contributes more than 50 per cent of the tea produced in India.

“This is a very positive development despite the lockdown. Being second-flush tea also helped. If this trend continues, it will help the industry recoup from the crop loss,” he said.

Guwahati is under total lockdown from June 27 to check the spread of Covid-19, with over 1,800 infected in the city, and over 9,000 infected in the state.

In the circumstances, GTAC has decided to embrace the new normal.

“We had two options because of the lockdown — either to defer the sale which would have created problems for us or embrace the new normal. We opted for the work-from-home mode and it has delivered. Everything went off smoothly though we were a bit apprehensive,” Dutta said.

Three auctioneers — J Thomas & Co Pvt Ltd, Paramount Tea Marketing Pvt Ltd and Eastern Tea Brokers Pvt Ltd — participated along with about 170 buyers, he said.

Dinesh Bihani, secretary, Guwahati Tea Auction Buyers Association, said last year 3 million kg of tea got sold at Rs 158.98 a kg. “This year we sold more and also got Rs 114.52 more a kg. There was strong demand for CTC leaf and dust and buying was witnessed from all across India. Participating in the auction from home during a total lockdown was also an amazing and epoch-making experience,” Bihani said.