Assam biggest beneficiary of India-EU trade pact: Shah

Guwahati: Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday said the biggest beneficiary of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement will be Assam as it ensures tea shipments from the region will reach 27 European countries with zero tariff, opening a new chapter for the state’s most famous export.

“The tea from this region will now reach 27 countries in Europe with zero tariff, finding its way into the morning cup of Europeans,” Shah said at a rally at Khanikar Parade Ground in Dibrugarh.


Shah credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for opening a vast new market for Assam tea, which already accounts for one-third of the global market. “From Paris to Berlin, Modi Ji’s vision has opened doors for Assam tea. Assam tea will now travel across Europe without barriers, strengthening both the state’s economy and India’s global identity,” he said.

India and the European Union on Tuesday sealed what leaders described as the “mother of all deals,” creating a market of two billion people.

Seeking to woo the tea tribe community concentrated in upper Assam around Dibrugarh district ahead of assembly polls, Shah praised garden workers for giving Assam and India a “distinct identity” as one of the world’s leading exporters of tea. “Dibrugarh is known as the tea capital and garden workers have ensured that the aroma of Assam tea reaches the world. The state is recognised in the world for its tea...,” he said.

Shah said tea garden workers have strengthened Assam’s economy and kept tea as a leading export commodity. He alleged that Congress “did nothing for the welfare of garden workers who have positioned Assam, particularly Dibrugarh, as the tea capital of the country.” Highlighting recent reforms, Shah said, “The chief minister has amended the law to ensure that the tea garden workers get ownership rights of land.” He also accused the Congress of giving a “toolkit to defame Assam and its tea.”

Tea garden workers form a sizeable electorate in upper Assam constituencies, once considered a Congress stronghold but increasingly aligned with BJP since 2014. With the EU-India trade pact promising tariff-free access to Europe, BJP is positioning Assam tea as both an economic and political symbol in the run-up to the polls.