Tea buds have started blooming during last few days in different tea gardens among the lush green tropical forests of the picturesque Surma valley.
Due to the favorable weather condition this year, buds started flowering in the tea gardens of Sylhet around two weeks before the season, said sources.
Seasonally, tea buds start flowering in full swing from the beginning of June, according to tea garden officials and workers.
If weather condition remains favourable, the growers expected, the tea production this year will increasesignificantly in Surma valley.
Sources said although tea gardens cover a total of 1,16,000 hectares of land across the country, tea plants are cultivated on around 56,000 hectares of land.
Last year, sources said, rough weather hampered tea production in Sylhet region where excessive rainfall, low temperature and insufficient sunlight affected tea’s smooth production.
Meanwhile, production by the state-owned tea estates declined sharply due to corruption, mismanagement and fund constraints, alleged sources concerned.
According to Bangladesh Tea Research Institute, there are 163 tea gardens in the country. Of them, 134 tea gardens are located in Sylhet division with 92 in Moulvibazar, 22 in Habiganj and 20 in Sylhet Sadarupazila. At present the major tea producing and exporting country are Chaina, North India, South India, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Vietnam etc.