Tea may suffer setback for lack of timely rain

Tea leaf plucking in the gardens of Sylhet region is getting delayed this year in absence of expected rainfall and irrigation facilities this season.
If the drought-like situation, prevailing in all the six valleys of Sylhet tea producing region having 138 of the country's 160 tea gardens, continues a few more days, this season's tea production will suffer a setback, said officials related with the country's major ago-based industry.
Usually the region gets a brief shower in the last week of February or first week of March, which is very important for the sensitive crop, they said.
Tea needs balanced rainfall and sunshine especially during the period from March to September-October while a minimum rainfall during October-December and February-April periods is also very important for its growth.
Usually plucking of leaves in the tea gardens start at the beginning of March but this year it could not be done due to the unfavourable weather, they said.
Contacted, Dr Mainuddin Ahmed, director of Bangladesh Tea Research Institute (BTRI), told this correspondent on Sunday, "The tea gardens could not yet start leaf plucking due to the absence of rainfall. Besides, fertilisers cannot be used as the soil has remained too dry."
"Tea gardens need rainfall and irrigation this time but we could not start irrigation as the natural water sources have already dried up," said Mohammad Shahjahan, manager of Somonbhag Tea Estate.
"Fertilisation is being delayed due to the drought-like situation. If it continues for some more days young tea plants will be damaged and there may be attack of pests like red spider. Fluctuation in temperature is also causing much harm to the crop," he said.
However, the gardens in North Sylhet Circle are expected to somehow start plucking of leaves in the second week of this month as the area got some rainfall.
Contacted, the Circle Chairman of the Bangladesh Tea Association-Numan Haider Chowdhury, also general manager of Khadim Tea Estate, said on Sunday, "We hope to start leaf plucking from March 10-15 as there was a little rainfall last week and we have facility for irrigation, although in a limited scale."
The country produced 59.16 million kg of tea in 2011. The amount was 60 million kg and 59.24 million kg in 2010 and 2009.
Once the country exported one third of its tea production but due to the huge rise in local consumption, the export has come down to about 20 percent.
Still the item remains a good earning source for the country due to good prices in the international market, officials said.