Tea output falls short of target
Tea production in Bangladesh missed the target for 2009 because of droughts in the first half of the year.
However, comparatively favourable weather later helped recoup some losses in the second half of the year, said industry people.
Total tea production for the year stood at 59.24 million kilograms against 58.75 million kilograms last year. The year's target was set at 60 million kilograms.
In 2007, tea production stood at 57.96 million kilograms, while it was 53.41 million kilograms in 2006. The country recorded tea production of 60.14 million kilograms in 2005. It was the highest production in recent years, officials said.
Mukul Jyoti Dutta, director (incharge) of Bangladesh Tea Research Institute (BTRI) at Srimangal, told The Daily Star that total production in 2009 stood a little ahead of the previous year but the year's target was missed slightly. Farming of the sensitive crop suffered due to insufficient rainfall in the year, he added.
The tea-producing region experienced 86.51 inches of rainfall in 2009, which was 90.75 inches last year. In 2007, rainfall was recorded at 130.87 inches.
Md Shahjahan, manager of the state-run Somonbhag Tea Estate of Juri valley, said there was almost no rainfall at the beginning of the year. The sensitive crop suffered much due to fluctuating temperatures and sunshine.
On the other hand, soil nutrients are also gradually falling. Tea planters also need to arrange water reservoirs to manage irrigation, he said.
Numan Haider Chowdhury, general manager of Khadim Tea Estate in Sylhet, said yesterday the sensitive crop requires a uniform rainfall and sunshine, especially in the period between March and October.
Numan, also the circle chairman of Bangladesh Tea Association's North Sylhet Valley, said we suffered in the first half of the year, as the distribution of rainfall was also not uniform.
Tea is an important cash crop of Bangladesh. It is also one of the largest agro based industries in the country.
There are 160 tea estates with total production of about 55-60 million kilograms a year.
Although the local consumption accounted for about two thirds of total production earlier, it increased recently. As a result, a fourth of total tea production is no longer exported.
In 2008, total tea export stood at 5.17 million kilograms, which will be much less in 2009.
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