The Nepal Tea and Coffee Development Board (NTCDB) has begun auctioning tea in Birtamod, the first organised effort to market domestic tea produce. Six producers participated in the auction on 27 March though the sale was not very brisk as the bidders were largely Nepali companies. Nepali tea producers say they produce some of the best quality teas in the world but have not been able to sell because of the lack of marketing arrangements. Nepali orthodox tea, produced in the hills of Nepal, is said to be of better quality than Indian teas, largely because the plants are young and grown using relatively smaller quantities of pesticides and chemical fertilisers. Nepal produced 6.6 million kg of tea in fiscal 2000/01, up from the roughly 5 million kg produced the year before.