GST cuts fire up Tripura handloom, tea trade
Lower taxes on goods and services are cutting expenses and improving access to markets for businesses in Tripura that produce handloom fabrics, tea, silk and processed foods. Government officials announced on Thursday that traditional textiles, pineapple products, and sericulture operations are benefiting from the policy changes. More than 130,000 families working with looms benefit from reduced rates on specialty fabrics and garments priced under 2,500 rupees. The tax decrease from 12 percent to 5 percent helps rural women earn more while protecting regional craft traditions.
Tea from 54 estates and about 2,755 small growers faces a 5 percent levy as they sell through auction houses and ship to Bangladesh, Middle Eastern nations and Europe. Around 15,550 farmers raising silkworms pay 5 percent tax on silk items across the production process. Nearly 2,850 food processing operations work with fruit and vegetable juices under a 7 percent lower tax burden. The state shipped 73 metric tons of pineapples to Gulf countries and Bangladesh from 2018 through 2025 while sending 15,000 metric tons to other Indian regions.
