It is good news that tea exports increased by 100 percent in July, the first month of the current FY, reaching a milestone of $.68 million against the target of $.34 million.
Alongside growing domestic demand, the country's tea is gaining popularity in other parts of the world, including the USA and Middle East. In a bid to meet the growing domestic demand and increase export, the government has already set a target to increase tea production by about 46 per cent to 140 million kilograms by 2025.
We know that tea is in the eighth position as far as export is concerned, therefore pragmatic policy is needed for further expansion of our tea industry. There is no denying that we are exporting tea to many different countries after meeting local demand, but the export volume will grow if production increases further.
We need to revise our trade
policy to discourage imports of
tea and boost exports of green leaf
Tea industry had long been one of the major contributors to our national exchequer. But over the last few decades, the industry has faced a multitude of problems like lack of capital and modern machinery, lower yield per hectare and lower market price. There is also a lack of perennial water source for irrigation during dry season.
Tea gardens need constant supply of utilities like water, gas and electricity to keep the factories running so that production may go up. We hope the departments concerned will look into this matter with due gravity. Also we need to revise our trade policy to discourage imports of tea and boost exports of green leaf.
Various kinds of tea like lemon tea, masala tea, ginger tea and tulsi tea are gaining popularity in the world market, and Bangladesh can produce these as well. Therefore, Bangladesh Tea Research Institute (BTRI) should map out a plan to produce newer varieties of tea.
Moreover, rough weather often hampers the country’s tea production in the Sylhet region where excessive rainfall, low temperature and insufficient sunlight are the main obstacles to smooth production. Hence, BTRI should look forward to inventing rough weather-friendly varieties of tea.
