BSS, Rangpur :
The tea-producing five northern districts produced an all-time record 14.54 million kgs of processed tea last year keeping the regional agro-economy vibrant despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
Officials of Bangladesh Tea Board (BTB) said the last year’s production of 14.54 million kgs of processed tea is higher by about 4.24 million kgs against the production of 10.30 million kgs of the previous 2020 year.
Senior Scientific Officer of Bangladesh Tea Board (BTB) at its Panchagarh Regional Office Dr. Mohammad Shameem Al Mamun said tea cultivation on plain lands is rapidly expanding in the ‘Kartoa Valley’ ecological zone comprising five northern districts.
“Being directed by the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during her visit to Panchagarh in 1996, the then Deputy Commissioner Rabiul Islam planted tea saplings on Panchagarh Circuit House premises on experimental basis,” he said.
Getting better results, a BTB team conducted a feasibility study in Panchagarh and Thakurgaon districts in 1999 and found 16,000 hectares of land suitable for commercial basis tea cultivation.
“Tentulia Tea Company Limited (TTCL) first started commercial basis tea cultivation on plain lands in Tentulia upazila there in 2000,” Dr. Shameem told BSS.
Later, other companies and local farmers started commercial-basis tea farming in 2005 ushering in a new hope in the agro-economy alongside creating huge jobs for farm-labourers.
Owners of nine registered and 21 unregistered tea gardens and 8,067 small holders cultivated tea on 11,434 acres of lands in Panchagarh, Thakurgaon, Dinajpur, Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat and produced about 73.57 million kgs of green tea leaves in 2021.
“The 11,434 acres land area brought under tea farming in 2021 is higher by 1,264 acres against 10,170 acres of land in 2020 in the valley,” Dr. Shameem said.
The 22 companies operating in Panchagarh, Thakurgaon and Lalmonirhat processed the green tea leaves producing 14.54 million kgs of processed tea which is 15 percent against the total national production of 96.506 million kgs in the country in 2021.
“In 2020, tea processing companies processed 51.28 million kgs of green tea leaves and produced 10.30 million kgs of processed tea which was 11.92 percent against the total national production of 86.39 million kgs,” he said.
Tea grower Shahinur Rahman of village Buraburi in Tentulia upazila of Panchagarh said that he started `small-scale gardening-basis’ tea cultivation on his plain land in 2016.
“I am now cultivating tea on six acres of land and selling green tea-leaves to tea processing companies to earn better profits,” Rahman said, adding that farm-laborers are working in his tea fields to earn daily wages.
Farmers Ali Ahsan Prodhan of Sadar upazila and Matiar Rahman of Atwari upazila in Panchagarh said `small-scale gardening-basis’ tea cultivation on plain lands is increasing every year bringing fortunes to many farmers.
Farm-labourers Bulbuli, Shefali, Noorjahan and Mohua of different villages in Panchagarh said they are earning Taka 600 as daily wages on an average from plucking green-tea leaves to lead a normal life despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
President of Bangladesh Small Tea Garden Owners’ Association Amirul Haque Khokan said small-scale gardening-basis’ tea farming on plain lands has changed the fortune of many people in five northern districts.
“Over 30,000 unemployed people, including 17,000 women, are earning well from farm-activities and plucking tea-leaves to lead a better life even during the Covid-19 pandemic,” Haque said.
