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Tea production to reach record 90.5m kg


Published : 23 Dec 2019 09:18 PM | Updated : 07 Sep 2020 02:38 AM

Countries tea production is going to set a new record by producing 90.5 million kilogram of the cash crop this year.

Some 95 percent of the total tea production has already been achieved so far till November of the current year against the 80 million kg production target set by the authority concerned, sources said.

Acting director of Project Development Unit, Bangladesh Tea Board, AKM Rafiqul Haque said, “Till November this year, we have produced 89.65 million kg which is 13.79 million kg more comparing to previous year. That is, around 1.38 million tonnes more tea has been produced this year.”

The favourable weather conditions have benefited the tea garden to boosting production especially heavy rain in March was a blessing for the record output.

Bangladesh ranked top position among the tea growing countries in July this year. Tea is mainly grown in Asia, Africa, South America, and around the Black and Caspian Seas. The four biggest tea-producing countries today are China, India, Sri Lanka and Kenya.

Contacted Kul Prodip Chakma, Secretary, Bangladesh Tea Board recently told Bangladesh Post that the tea sector is thriving fast. “If this production trend continues, we are expecting tea output will cross more than ninety million kg. And our record production has already stunned the world tea growing countries”.

On the other hand, while tea growing country Sri Lanka’s made-tea’ production has increased 0.95 percent Kenya’s production decreases by 8.38 percent. 

M R Khan, a tea trader of tea gardens of Sylhet division and workers of different tea gardens talking to media expressing their satisfaction said their tea gardens experienced heavy downpour in March and also got sufficient sunlit.

“And these two natural blessing—sunlit and adequate rain made the tea gardens fertile. Besides, government various initiatives encouraged both the owners and workers to work hard in order to boosting the production,” the trader said.

Bangladesh Tea Board Secretary said after meeting domestic demand, the surplus tea would be exported, but the tea must be produced maintaining required quality.

“Bangladesh has a renowned global reputation and demand for ‘made tea’ are skyrocketing day by day. As Malaysia and Indonesia are not sowing interest in cultivating tea, Bangladesh can capture the foreign market to export its tea. In this regard, the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has identified some problems and those are being solved,” he said.

He said Bangladesh has targeted European countries, USA and Russia to export tea there.   

“With such high demand, it is understandable that tea needs to be produced on a mass scale in the country in order to capture the foreign market,” he said.

He said the tea production in Bangladesh has risen steadily over recent years. As tea from Bangladesh gathers notoriety across the world, the amount of production is expected to grow even further.

 According to Bangladesh Tea Board, the hot and muggy climate of Bangladesh is well-suited for tea production. 

Bangladesh is the 10th largest tea producer in the world. Its tea industry dates back to British rule, when the East India Company initiated the tea trade in the hills of the Sylhet region.

In addition to that, tea cultivation was introduced to Greater Chittagong in 1840. Now a day, the country has 166 commercial tea estates, including many of the world's largest working plantations. 

The industry accounts for 3% of global tea production, and employs more than 150 tea plantations, primarily in the northern and eastern part of the country. More than 300,000 people work in these tea plantations. 

The tea is grown in the northern and eastern districts, the highlands, temperate climate, humidity and heavy rainfall within these districts provide a favourable ground for the production of high-quality tea.

The government plans to multipurpose use of tea apart from being just as a popular healthy drink as it wants Bangladesh tea to go on across the world.

Bangladesh can produce soap, shampoo, lotion from tea which are getting huge popularity in the whole world.

Beside, Bangladesh Tea Research Institute has been carrying out research to raise quality and production of the tea.

The institute is conducting research on the flavoured tea and innovating new ways to check pesticides. 

The tea output will further increase this year as its cultivation is expanding in the ‘Kartoa Valley’ comprised of Panchagarh, Thakurgaon, Dinajpur, Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat districts bringing fortune to many farmers and creating jobs for the poor.

According to Bangladesh Tea Board, BTB is implementing the ‘Expansion of Small Holding Tea Cultivation in Northern Bangladesh Project’ since 2015 at Taka 4.97 crore to expand tea farming by more 500 hectares of land within 2020 in different districts of the valley.

Tea production is boosting every year in the northern Panchagarh and Thakurgaon districts bringing fortune to many farmers and creating jobs for the poor.