Economic Reporter :
Showcasing the history, culture and heritage of Bangladeshi tea industry, the first ever tea expo kicked off on Thursday morning.
The three-day tea extravaganza began at Bashundhara International Convention City in the capital and will continue until January 14.
The exposition organised by Bangladesh Tea Board (BTB) in association with Bangladesh Tea Association, Duncan Brothers Ltd, Finlay Tea, HRC, Ispahani and Cylon Tea. The expo will remain open for visitors from 10am to 10pm.
The opening ceremony started with a welcome speech by BTB Chairman Major General Shafeenul Islam, with Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, State Minister for Finance and Planning MA Mannan, Tea Traders Association Chairman Shantanu Biswas, and Bangladesh Tea Association Chairman Ardashir Kabir also present.
A total of 16 tea stalls and 30 pavilions are taking part in the exhibition.
Kazi and Kazi Tea, Ispahani, Finlays, Halda Valley Tea Co, Ceylon Tea, HRC, Duncan Brothers Bangladesh Ltd and others have been displaying their products at the exhibition.
The main objective of this exhibition is to showcase Bangladesh’s tea industry to tea-lovers from home and abroad, the organisers said.
The expo stands out as it demonstrates the location and nature of tea gardens, different types of tea, tea-related products, tea garden culture and tea tourism, they said.
During the exhibition, visitors will have the chance to buy tea products and enjoy cultural performances in the evenings.
Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, who was the chief guest in the opening function, said “This is a special day in the history of Bangladesh as it is the opening of the first ever festival dedicated to tea.”
He reminisced about his early involvement in tea production, when his father was a lawyer for Finlays and Duncan Brothers Bangladesh Ltd.
Muhith said tea workers have been working hard since independence. At first, there were workers mostly from Urissa in the tea gardens of the region. Gradually, Bangalees began to join the gardens in large scale.
BTB Chairman Shafeenul Islam said the commercial tea cultivation began at Sylhet’s Malnichhara in 1854. From then, it has expanded over the years and the demand of tea has been on the rise.
Now, Bangladesh contributes 3% of the total tea production in the world, he said.
Ardashir Kabir said there are 166 tea gardens in the country where at least five lakh people are involved in the 162-year-old tea industry.
Last year, 82 million kgs of tea have been produced, in contrast to 12 million in 1971, he added.
It normally takes 12 years to obtain capital from tea cultivation.
Thus, financial assistance is vital to boost the total tea production in order to cope with increasing demand, Ardashir Kabir said.
Tofail Ahmed said: “We have targeted to produce 130 million kgs of tea by 2025. There are three on-going tea projects. One is in the Hill Tracts and the other two are in northern part of the country.”
He also said our demand and production of tea are almost equal.
At the opening ceremony, Bangladesh Tea Research Institute (BTRI) Director Altaf Hossain presented two new varieties of high yield quality clone tea plants to the chief guest. BTRI had previously invented 18 varieties of tea.
Showcasing the history, culture and heritage of Bangladeshi tea industry, the first ever tea expo kicked off on Thursday morning.
The three-day tea extravaganza began at Bashundhara International Convention City in the capital and will continue until January 14.
The exposition organised by Bangladesh Tea Board (BTB) in association with Bangladesh Tea Association, Duncan Brothers Ltd, Finlay Tea, HRC, Ispahani and Cylon Tea. The expo will remain open for visitors from 10am to 10pm.
The opening ceremony started with a welcome speech by BTB Chairman Major General Shafeenul Islam, with Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, State Minister for Finance and Planning MA Mannan, Tea Traders Association Chairman Shantanu Biswas, and Bangladesh Tea Association Chairman Ardashir Kabir also present.
A total of 16 tea stalls and 30 pavilions are taking part in the exhibition.
Kazi and Kazi Tea, Ispahani, Finlays, Halda Valley Tea Co, Ceylon Tea, HRC, Duncan Brothers Bangladesh Ltd and others have been displaying their products at the exhibition.
The main objective of this exhibition is to showcase Bangladesh’s tea industry to tea-lovers from home and abroad, the organisers said.
The expo stands out as it demonstrates the location and nature of tea gardens, different types of tea, tea-related products, tea garden culture and tea tourism, they said.
During the exhibition, visitors will have the chance to buy tea products and enjoy cultural performances in the evenings.
Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, who was the chief guest in the opening function, said “This is a special day in the history of Bangladesh as it is the opening of the first ever festival dedicated to tea.”
He reminisced about his early involvement in tea production, when his father was a lawyer for Finlays and Duncan Brothers Bangladesh Ltd.
Muhith said tea workers have been working hard since independence. At first, there were workers mostly from Urissa in the tea gardens of the region. Gradually, Bangalees began to join the gardens in large scale.
BTB Chairman Shafeenul Islam said the commercial tea cultivation began at Sylhet’s Malnichhara in 1854. From then, it has expanded over the years and the demand of tea has been on the rise.
Now, Bangladesh contributes 3% of the total tea production in the world, he said.
Ardashir Kabir said there are 166 tea gardens in the country where at least five lakh people are involved in the 162-year-old tea industry.
Last year, 82 million kgs of tea have been produced, in contrast to 12 million in 1971, he added.
It normally takes 12 years to obtain capital from tea cultivation.
Thus, financial assistance is vital to boost the total tea production in order to cope with increasing demand, Ardashir Kabir said.
Tofail Ahmed said: “We have targeted to produce 130 million kgs of tea by 2025. There are three on-going tea projects. One is in the Hill Tracts and the other two are in northern part of the country.”
He also said our demand and production of tea are almost equal.
At the opening ceremony, Bangladesh Tea Research Institute (BTRI) Director Altaf Hossain presented two new varieties of high yield quality clone tea plants to the chief guest. BTRI had previously invented 18 varieties of tea.
