BSS, Rangpur :
The thriving `small-scale gardening-basis’ tea cultivation has created jobs for over 20,000 unemployed rural people, mostly women, in the ‘Kartoa Valley’ ecological zone comprising of five northern districts.
Officials of Bangladesh Tea Board (BTB) said the ‘Kartoa Valley’ ecological zone comprising of Panchagarh, Thakurgaon, Dinajpur, Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat districts produced an all-time record production of 96 lakh kg made-tea last year.
Tea cultivation started expanding fast since launching of the ‘Expansion of Small Holding Tea Cultivation in Northern Bangladesh Project’ by BTB in 2015 at Taka 4.97 crore to bring another 500 hectares of land under tea farming within 2020 in the valley.
Talking to BSS, President of Bangladesh Small Tea Garden Owners’ Association Amirul Haque Khokan said tea cultivation on `small-scale gardening-basis’ continues changing fortunes of local farmers improving their living standard.
“With continuous expansion of tea cultivation in the valley, some 20,000 rural people, including about 11,000 women, have changed fortune by plucking green tea-leaves and other agri-activities in tea gardens in the last 11 years,” Khokan said.
Though the women earned only Taka 140 to Tk 170 everyday by plucking green tea-leaves even five years ago, they are now earning Tk 500 to 600 as daily wages to lead a solvent life with faster expansion of tea cultivation in the valley.
“Earlier, local rural women had to lead miserable life even a decade ago due to poverty, but they have come out of the vicious cycle of poverty with a dream of a better future for children following their economic well-being,” Khokan said.
Vice-president of Panchagarh Chamber Mehedi Hasan Khan Babla said the flourishing tea-based agriculture sector accelerates women empowerment assisting the women in contributing to their families for living with dignity.
“More than 11,000 female tea workers, including unemployed young girls, housewives, widows and divorcees are happy as the prospective tea sector is growing fast creating more jobs to ensure their better livelihoods in the valley,” Babla added.
Talking to BSS, female labourers Aklima of Maynaguri, Phuli of Kandali Coach, Morium of Guchchhogram, Rozina of Narayangoach and Halima of Dodhigoach villages in Tentulia upazila of Panchagarh discussed their better living now.
The green tea-leaves plucking female labourers were earning only Tk 140 to 170 per day while the male labourers earning their per day wages in between Taka 200 and Taka 250 even five years back.
“When we formed groups comprising of 15 to 20 female labourers to pluck green-tea leaves group-wise and share wages equally, we started getting double wages between Taka 500 and Taka 600 daily than five to six years ago,” said labourer Nasima Begum.
Senior Scientific Officer at Bangladesh Tea Research Institute Dr. Mohammad Shameem Al Mamun said the Kartoa Valley produced an all-time record 96 lakh kg made-tea last year against the production of 84.67-lakh kg in 2018 and 54.40-lakh kg in 2017.
Mamun, also Project Director of the Northern Bangladesh Project of BTB, said owners of nine registered and 19 unregistered gardens and 6,558 small holders cultivated tea on 8,681 acres of lands producing 4.69-crore kg of green tea-leaves in 2019 in the valley.
“With continuous expansion of tea cultivation on `small-scale gardening- basis’, more creating jobs are being created every year for thousands of tea workers, mostly women, in the valley,” Mamun added.
The thriving `small-scale gardening-basis’ tea cultivation has created jobs for over 20,000 unemployed rural people, mostly women, in the ‘Kartoa Valley’ ecological zone comprising of five northern districts.
Officials of Bangladesh Tea Board (BTB) said the ‘Kartoa Valley’ ecological zone comprising of Panchagarh, Thakurgaon, Dinajpur, Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat districts produced an all-time record production of 96 lakh kg made-tea last year.
Tea cultivation started expanding fast since launching of the ‘Expansion of Small Holding Tea Cultivation in Northern Bangladesh Project’ by BTB in 2015 at Taka 4.97 crore to bring another 500 hectares of land under tea farming within 2020 in the valley.
Talking to BSS, President of Bangladesh Small Tea Garden Owners’ Association Amirul Haque Khokan said tea cultivation on `small-scale gardening-basis’ continues changing fortunes of local farmers improving their living standard.
“With continuous expansion of tea cultivation in the valley, some 20,000 rural people, including about 11,000 women, have changed fortune by plucking green tea-leaves and other agri-activities in tea gardens in the last 11 years,” Khokan said.
Though the women earned only Taka 140 to Tk 170 everyday by plucking green tea-leaves even five years ago, they are now earning Tk 500 to 600 as daily wages to lead a solvent life with faster expansion of tea cultivation in the valley.
“Earlier, local rural women had to lead miserable life even a decade ago due to poverty, but they have come out of the vicious cycle of poverty with a dream of a better future for children following their economic well-being,” Khokan said.
Vice-president of Panchagarh Chamber Mehedi Hasan Khan Babla said the flourishing tea-based agriculture sector accelerates women empowerment assisting the women in contributing to their families for living with dignity.
“More than 11,000 female tea workers, including unemployed young girls, housewives, widows and divorcees are happy as the prospective tea sector is growing fast creating more jobs to ensure their better livelihoods in the valley,” Babla added.
Talking to BSS, female labourers Aklima of Maynaguri, Phuli of Kandali Coach, Morium of Guchchhogram, Rozina of Narayangoach and Halima of Dodhigoach villages in Tentulia upazila of Panchagarh discussed their better living now.
The green tea-leaves plucking female labourers were earning only Tk 140 to 170 per day while the male labourers earning their per day wages in between Taka 200 and Taka 250 even five years back.
“When we formed groups comprising of 15 to 20 female labourers to pluck green-tea leaves group-wise and share wages equally, we started getting double wages between Taka 500 and Taka 600 daily than five to six years ago,” said labourer Nasima Begum.
Senior Scientific Officer at Bangladesh Tea Research Institute Dr. Mohammad Shameem Al Mamun said the Kartoa Valley produced an all-time record 96 lakh kg made-tea last year against the production of 84.67-lakh kg in 2018 and 54.40-lakh kg in 2017.
Mamun, also Project Director of the Northern Bangladesh Project of BTB, said owners of nine registered and 19 unregistered gardens and 6,558 small holders cultivated tea on 8,681 acres of lands producing 4.69-crore kg of green tea-leaves in 2019 in the valley.
“With continuous expansion of tea cultivation on `small-scale gardening- basis’, more creating jobs are being created every year for thousands of tea workers, mostly women, in the valley,” Mamun added.
