A total of 86.39 million kgs of made-tea was produced from 167 tea gardens and small scale tea gardens across Bangladesh last year with record output in five sub-Himalayan northern districts.
“The produced 86.39 million kgs of made-tea is higher by 20.45 million kgs against the fixed production target of 75.94 million kgs for 2020,” a press release signed by Deputy Director (Planning) of Bangladesh Tea Board (BTB) Munir Ahmed said Thursday.
Among the total production, a record quantity of 10.30 million kgs of made-tea has been added to the national production from tea gardens and small tea gardens in plain lands of five northern districts alone.
The produced 10.30 million kgs of made-tea in five northern districts in 2020 is higher by 0.70 million kgs than the produced quantity of 9.60 million kgs (96 lakh kgs) in the previous year of 2019.
“Chairman of Bangladesh Tea Board Major General Md. Zahirul Islam said the overall activities of all the tea gardens in the country remained normal under the direction of Prime Minister even during the COVID-19 pandemic situation,” the release said.
The tea production target for 2020 exceeded for maintaining tea auction centers in compliance with health directives, timely distribution of fertilisers, ensuring coveted protocols in tea gardens and increasing wages of tea workers, ensuring rations and health services.
“Hand-to-hand training of farmers through Camellia Open Sky School on tea cultivation and providing modern technologies helped to achieve a record output from tea gardens and small tea gardens on plain lands in the northern districts,” he added.
Talking to BSS, Senior Scientific Officer at Bangladesh Tea Research Institute Dr. Mohammad Shameem Al Mamun said tea farming began in the north as per direction given by the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during her visit to Panchagarh in 1996.
Accordingly, a BTB team conducted feasibility study in Panchagarh and Thakurgaon districts in 1999 and found 16,000 hectares of land suitable for commercial basis tea cultivation.
“Tentulia Tea Company first started farming tea in Tentulia upazila of Panchagarh in 2000 followed by other companies and farmers,” said Shameem, also Project Director of the Northern Bangladesh Project of BTB at its Regional Office in Panchagarh.
The BTB launched the ‘Expansion of Small Holding Tea Cultivation in Northern Bangladesh Project’ by BTB in 2015 at Taka 4.97 crore to bring more than 500 hectares of land within 2020 for promoting faster expansion of tea cultivation.
“Owners of 10 registered and 17 unregistered gardens and 7,310 small holders cultivated tea on 10,171 acres of plain lands in Panchagarh, Thakurgaon, Dinajpur, Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat districts producing over 5.12 crore kg of green tea leaves in 2020.
The 18 operating tea processing companies in Panchagarh and Thakurgaon processed the green tea leaves and produced 10.30 million kg of ‘made-tea’ in 2020 for selling at Chittagong Auction Market.
“Farmers brought 1,490 acres of more plain lands under tea farming to produce 10.30 million kg of made-tea in 2020 against cultivation on 8,681 acres of lands to produce 9.60 lakh kg of made-tea in 2019 in these districts,” Dr. Shameem added.
With continuous expansion of tea cultivation on `small-scale gardening-basis’, production of green tea leaves is boosting bringing fortune to many farmers and creating jobs for over 25,000 tea workers, mostly women, in these five northern districts.
Smallholder tea grower Matiar Rahman of village Sonapatila in Panchagarh said he started tea farming on his 4.50 acres of plain land for the first time in 2002.
“Currently, I am cultivating tea on 55 acres of land and selling green tea leaves to tea processing companies,” Rahman said.
Talking to BSS, female labourers Aleya, Selina Hembrom and Gokul Hasda of village Buraburi in Tentulia upazila of Panchagarh said they are earning Taka 500 to Taka 600 as daily wages from tea-leaves plucking to lead a better life.
