Tea production stalled at the start of this year because of a lack of rain, the coronavirus shock and drought. But with favourable weather late in the season, 24 million kg more tea is likely to be produced.

According to the Bangladesh Tea Board, the 2021 production target from the country's 167 tea gardens and small-scale gardens is 77.78 million kg. From January to date, about 38.31 million kg has been produced.

People concerned say that if the development plan continues, 100 million kg of tea leaf will be produced by the end of the season.

Leaf plucking is going on in full swing even at the end of the year, with a big goal in sight. In other years, fog at this time cut production considerably, but because rain continued until October 2021, buds are still sprouting on the bushes.

There are 167 tea gardens across the country, including in Chattogram, Sylhet, Habiganj and Moulvibazar. Another 5,000 small growers are involved in tea, including in small gardens in Panchagarh and Lalmonirhat and in Bandarban. More than 300,000 workers are employed in the sector.

Prominent tea planter Ibadul Islam of Panchagarh told Jago News that tea production is rising, but a syndicate is pushing down prices at auction, leaving owners struggling to run their gardens. Garden owners and tea experts who asked not to be named said big traders form a syndicate at the auction centre and buy tea at Tk 190 to 205 a kg, but sell it at retail for Tk 400 to 500 a kg. Low-quality Indian tea smuggled in without quality checks is also mixed with local tea and sold.

Dishonest traders are cleverly harming the tea industry in pursuit of bigger profits, they said. Tea prices must rise along with production, through the active participation of foreign buyers; otherwise this cash-earning industry cannot be saved.

Major General Md Ashraful Islam, ndc, psc, chairman of the Bangladesh Tea Sangsad, told Jago News that production fell considerably last year because of bad weather, but that is not the case this year. With favourable weather, output is rising compared with last year. Even during Covid-19, all tea gardens operated normally on the prime minister's instructions.

Keeping the tea auction centre running under health rules, distributing fertiliser at subsidised prices on time, enforcing Covid protocols strictly in the gardens, raising tea workers' wages, and ensuring rations and healthcare mean that 2021 production will exceed the target, he said. "We are hopeful that 100 million kg of tea leaf will be produced this year."

Asked about the auction syndicate, he said: "We are aware of the matter. We will arrange an e-auction so that all traders at home and abroad can take part."

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.