For several years, the tea farmers of Tetulia in Panchagarh, the famous tea industry in the north of the country, were upset as they could not get a fair price for green tea leaves.
Tea cultivation has been going on for the last three years. Wages of workers, prices of fertilizers and pesticides were not rising as tea leaves were sold in factories.
This year, a company called Uttara Green Tea Industries Limited is showing the farmers the light of hope by overcoming that anxiety. The company is buying leaves from small tea growers at twice the price.
This has started a competition among other tea factories to buy tea leaves. In this way, ordinary small tea farmers are going to get rid of the long-running syndicate.
Talking to the farmers of Darjipara, Kankata, Sharialjot, Premcharanjot, Kazipara, Aziznagar, Mathaphata, Kalandiganj and Majhipara tea gardens of Sadar Union of the upazila, they expressed hope that they would be able to sell tea leaves at higher prices at Uttara Green Tea Factory.
A green tea leaf purchasing center has been inaugurated at near Tetulia Government College in the upazila on Tuesday afternoon.
The inaugural function was presided over by the Principal of Kalandiganj Senior Madrasa Mostafizur Rahman and was attended by the Managing Director of Uttara Green Tea Industries Limited - Kazi A. N. M Aminul Haque, Director (Operations & Production) Abdur Razzak, Director (Accounts) Shah Alam, Abdul Latif Tarin, Central Vice President of Krishok League, Mokleshur Rahman, eminent businessman and social worker, Safar Ali Pradhan, Tarek Hossain, Mohammad Mithu, Tara Mia and other local dignitaries and tea garden owners.
Director (Operations and Production) Abdur Razzak said, “If the farmer survives, the factory will survive, and if the factory survives, the farmer will survive.
We want to save both, we will always work to take the tea industry forward and try to give a fair price for green raw tea leaves.”
As tea is a long cash crop, Tetulia in Panchagarh, bordering the northern part of the country, has become the third largest tea growing region in the country.
The region’s tea has gone beyond the borders of the country to supply tea in the international market.
