This time too, plain tea has retained the second place in the country, surpassing Chittagong. In the season of 2023, 1 crore 79 lakh 47 thousand 230 kg of tea was produced from 8 crore 61 lakh 46 thousand 704 kg of raw leaves on 12 thousand 132 acres of land in four districts of the north including Panchagarh. Which is one lakh 65 thousand kg more than last season and 17.44 percent of the country’s total production.
According to Tea Board sources, tea cultivation started in 2000 in the abandoned plains of Tantulia in Panchagarh. After that, the extent of tea cultivation continued to increase. In 2015, the Bangladesh Tea Board started the expansion of tea cultivation in the plains under the name ‘Northern Tea Cultivation Project’. Then in 2017, a record 54 lakh 46 thousand kg of tea was produced in Panchagarh. Following this, tea cultivation was expanded to 10,267.2 acres in Panchagarh, 1,457.29 acres in neighboring district Thakurgaon, 248.2 acres in Lalmonirhat, 89 acres in Dinajpur and 70.59 acres in Nilphamari. In this, 53 acres of land was newly added to tea cultivation in the last production season (2023).
This time, the total production of tea (made tea) across the country is 10 crore 29 lakh 18 thousand 498 kg. Out of this, 1 crore 79 lakh 47 thousand 230 kg of tea is produced in 28 tea factories under the Northern Tea Cultivation Project. Which is 17.44 percent of the country’s total production. In the season of 2022, tea production under Panchagarh Regional Tea Board was 1 KT 77 lakh 81 thousand 968 kg.
According to related sources, so far 29 small and big tea gardens have been established in five districts. In addition, eight thousand 371 small-scale farmers continue to cultivate tea in different amounts of plain land. Tea cultivation has been expanded to a total of 12 thousand 132.18 acres of land. 58 tea processing factories have been approved. At present, out of 28 tea factories, 27 are operating in Panchagarh and one in Thakurgaon. The remaining 30 factories have been sanctioned but no infrastructure work has started.
Meanwhile, despite the increase in the area of tea cultivation every year, the farmers have expressed their anger because they are not getting a suitable price for raw tea leaves. In the last production season, the price of raw tea leaves in Panchagarh was fixed at 18 taka, but they could not sell it even at 8-10 taka per kg. Besides, the price is paid by deducting the weight up to 30-40 percent on various pretexts. In this, the farmers get only 5-6 taka per kg of tea leaves. But the wages of cutting leaves from the garden is 3 rupees. Farmers don’t even get money for production.
Manik Hossain, a small farmer of Bhajanpur area of Tentulia upazila said, ‘In the beginning everything was fine. Farmers became interested in tea cultivation due to good price. But for the last 2-3 years, the cost of tea cultivation is not even rising, continuous losses have to be counted.’
Another farmer named Kudrat-e Khoda Moon said, ‘If we can sell leaves at the fixed rate of Tk 18 per kg, we will be saved from losses. But we can sell it only at the rate of eight rupees per kg. The factory owners give the price by deducting up to 30 percent of the weight. The price of our leaves fell by 5-6 taka per kg. If this situation continues, people will lose interest in tea cultivation.’
Rausul Islam, a tea farmer of Hafizabad area of Upazila Sadar said, ‘I have cultivated tea on lease of seven acres of land. In the beginning 3-4 years I got good money by getting reasonable price. After that, losses have to be counted every year for the last three years.’
Syed Ul Hasan, managing director of Panchagarh Far-East Tea Industry Limited, told Pradhan Jago News, ‘I have given a new tea factory this time. I also sold some tea. Good tea means one leaf, two buds. But our tea-farming brothers cut up to 7-8 leaves and brought them to the factory. We are not getting good prices in the tea auction market as the quality of the leaves is not good. If we get good quality leaves we can also make good quality tea. Then the farmers will also get a good price.’
Development Officer of Tea Board Panchagarh Regional Office Amir Hossain told Jago News that the flat land of Panchagarh and its surrounding areas is very suitable for tea cultivation. For this reason, the farmers interested in tea cultivation here have been encouraged in tea cultivation by providing various support. The extent of tea cultivation in the northern region is increasing every year. This time too, tea cultivation has been done on about 53 acres of land.
He also said that due to the poor quality of our tea, farmers are getting lower prices. However, efforts are being made by the tea board to produce good quality leaves. If the quality of tea is good in the next production season, the farmers are also expected to get good prices.
SAFIQUL ALAM/SR/MS
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