Chattogram Bureau :
Country has achieved bumper tea productions of 9.5 crore kgs in the last year.
Bangladesh Tea Board will decrease the imports of tea from abroad due to maximum output of the tea cultivation in the country. According to BTB sources, in last calendar year up to November, tea produced about 9 crores kgs which may exceed by 9.50 crore kgs up to December last.
Mentionable that in 2018 , total production was 8.21 cr kgs which was increased by 1.37 crore kgs .
BTB sources said initiatives have been taken to lessen the import of tea from a broad this year. In immediate past year, 70 lakh kgs tea were imported from abroad including Kenya. BTB is mulling to give import permit for 30 lakh Kgs tea of higher quality grade forblending with the local produced. Managing Director of Waggachara Tea Estate Aminur Rashid told that following the positive initiatives of the BTB for plantation from small scale to large scale across the country and govt subsidy for procurement of tea saplings and trainings to tea garden workers for developed garden management, tea production increased in immediate past year .
He said once Bangladesh was a tea exporting country and 30% productions out of total was exported earlier to about 30 countries and Bangladesh was ranked at 8th position of tea exports.
Following the increased local demand of tea recently, Bangladesh now turned into a tea import country. BTB secretary Kulpradip Chakma told BSS that tea output in Bangladesh was 6 crore kgs in 2009, 6.4 crore kgs in 2010, 5.91 cr Kgs in 2011, 6.25 cr Kgs in 2012, 6.66 cr in 2013, 6.38 cr Kgs in 2014, 6.73 cr Kgs in 2015, 8.5 cr kgs in 2016, 8 cr Kgs in 2017 and 8.21 cr Kgs in 2018.
