Bangladesh’s Tea production hits all-time high

News Desk: Bangladesh’s tea production has hit a record 96.506 million kilograms in 2021.

The tea output in 2021 is the highest in 167-year history of the tea industry here, which dates back to British rule. Currently, there are a total of 167 tea gardens and small plantations in the country.

Bangladesh’s tea production was 86.394 million kg in 2020.  

 

The production volume has soared by 10.111 million kg mainly due to the coordinated efforts of the government, garden owners and workers, and the tea board, industry insiders have said.

Sources in Bangladesh Tea Board said tea production in the country’s northern region has soared to 14.54 million kg in 2021 from 10.30 million kg in 2020.

Tea Board Chairman Major General Md Ashraful Islam said all activities of the tea gardens were normal during the corona pandemic as per the directives of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Government’s financial incentives, regular monitoring by the Commerce Ministry and Tea Board, relentless efforts by the garden owners and workers, timely distribution of fertilizer at subsidised prices, keeping the tea auction centres operational maintaining health safely rules, and ensuring the wage, ration and health safety of the workers played the key roles behind the success, observed the Tea Board chairman.

 “The rise in production despite the corona pandemic proves that the capacity of the tea industry in Bangladesh has increased significantly,” he said.  

Regarding the surge in production in the northern region and small plantations, Major General Md Ashraful Islam said production in the areas witnessed a rise by 41 per cent thanks to the hands-on training on tea cultivation through the ‘Camellia Khola Akash School’ and supply of modern technology.

 

Mentionable, the previous highest annual tea production was recorded in 2019 at 96.069 million kg. Tea production dropped to 86.394 million kg in 2020.

Contacted, Bangladesh Tea Association (BTA) Chairman M Shah Alam told the Daily Sun that the owners made huge investments for planting new saplings at the tea gardens last year.

 “The weather was also good. We provided fertilizer timely and controlled the pests and disease properly as part of the management’s focus on higher production,” he noted. 

 “Price has been falling down in the local market due to the record production in the country,” he added.

Bangladesh Tea Traders Association Chairman Omar Hannan said Bangladeshi tea is of very high quality. He also lauded the coordinated efforts by all for the record tea production in the county.

Asked about the import of tea, he said some high-quality teas are required for blending to bring variation in tastes.

 “The quantity of imported tea is very poor. China produces good quality green tea. We require some green tea of the quality to improve the taste,” said the chairman.

 “With the increasing number of tea drinkers, there is no significant gap between the demand and production in the country,” he added.

Mentionable, there are 167 tea estates and gardens in Bangladesh. Of them, 91 are located in Moulvibazar while 25 in Habiganj, 19 in Sylhet, 21 in Chattogram, two in Rangamati, eight in Panchagarh and one in Thakurgaon.

Commercial production of tea was started in this area in 1854 after the establishment of the Malnichhara Tea Garden in Sylhet.