Tea production suffers setbacks, meeting target unlikely

Adverse weather and calamities, labour unrest, and low auction prices amid high production costs have hampered this year's tea production.

Officials fear a fall in production, while it is almost impossible to achieve the annual target as the main season is already over. This year's production target is 108 million kg.

Industry sources said production had surpassed the target last year, but this year's target would not be met because of repeated floods, high temperatures, and excessive rains during the peak season, especially in greater Sylhet, which is the key tea producing area.

Out of the country's 168 tea gardens, 137 are located in Sylhet, Moulvibazar, and Habiganj districts. Production was hindered at the beginning of the season in March, April, and May due to less rains and then excess rains as well as floods.

Addressing the inauguration of a training programme at the training institute of the Project Development Unit under the Bangladesh Tea Board in Sreemangal, Chairman of the board Major General Sheikh Mohammad Sarwar Hossain recently said the tea production target would not be achieved this year while the auction market was also dull.

He stressed improving tea quality. Besides, he said some people in the industry were cheating consumers by marketing sub-standard tea along with quality products.

"This should be looked into, and the tea board would strengthen monitoring," said Sarwar, adding that tea produced in the northern region was not of good quality.

Contacted, General Manager of James Tea Company GM Shibli, also the president of the Bangladesh Tea Association's Sylhet chapter, told The Financial Express that production had been badly hit during the main season this year. "However, we are 10 per cent behind meeting our production target."

General Manager of Khadim Tea Estate Numan Haider Chowdhury, also the president of the Bangladesh Tea Association's North Sylhet Valley chapter, said gardens in the valley were 8 per cent behind the production target.

He said both droughts and excessive rainfall had hit the industry at the beginning of the season. "There was a little rain in September, which barely covered the shortages. Meanwhile, workers in 16 gardens of National Tea Company are on strike, while the auction market is slack."

Manager of Habibnagar Tea Estate Humayun Kabir said production cost stood at Tk 200-220 per kg while they had to sell at Tk 170-180 at the auction.

He said the whole sector was in trouble this year, adding the tea producing region experienced sporadic rains in May, June, and August.

"Tea plantations need uniform rains as well as adequate sunshine in the main season. We are 10 per cent behind our production target, and there is no possibility to recoup the loss at the end of the year," added Kabir.

Senior tea planter and consultant at a tea estate in Sreemangal Md Shahjahan, also the former general manager of Bangladesh Tea Board, said adverse weather, including uneven rains, had dealt a heavy blow to the industry this year. He also said there was no chance to achieve this year's national production target.

Some labour leaders said labour unrest in various tea gardens had taken a new turn over issues like higher wages and other facilities, which hit the sector badly.

Tea trader Nirmal Dey said the year would end after a few weeks and there was no way to hit the annual production target. "On the other hand, tea quality has also fallen this year for various reasons, which is why estate owners did not get the right price," he said.

He further added that the tea auction was sluggish, while production costs had risen.

Some bidders said they were deprived of fair prices and claimed that the auction saw low prices in the bidding.