Mercantile Produce Brokers Knock down maiden lot at historic tea eAuction

• The first lot establishes a record price

The first-ever successful ‘Electronic Tea Auction’ took off on Saturday (4 April), with Mercantile Produce Brokers Ltd. spearheaded by Samantha Dodanwela being the first Tea Broker to ‘Knock-Down’ the first lot of BOPF grade from Uplands Tea Factory which was keenly contested by M/s Akbar Brothers and M/s Imperial Teas and finally sold at an incredible price of Rs. 2,100 per kilo to M/s Imperial Teas Ltd. 

Commenting on the Tea Auction no sooner the MPBL catalogue was concluded, Managing Director Samantha Dodanwela had this to say on this historical occasion: “I am hopeful that teas in all other catalogues offered today will be well-received and obtain good prices from the tea buyers who were intent on extending their fullest support to the tea industry. The Minister of Plantation Industries and the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tea Board must be commended for their excellent encouragement and attitude toward this achievement. The Chairman of the Colombo Tea Traders’ Association, the Chairman, the immediate past chairman and the convener of the Colombo Brokers’ Association and members of all stakeholders made a great contribution sacrificing so much of their time in order to ensure that this historic project would be a success. The credit also should go to the IT company CICRA Solutions Ltd. for achieving this milestone in a short span.”