Scanty rain, power outage hit tea production, processing
Gardens in Habiganj, Moulvibazar get less than 30 MW power against demand for 60 MW
Power crisis has badly hit tea production in the country this year, according to industry sources.
Besides production loss in gardens, quality of the sensitive export item is also being affected by load shedding up to six hours a day.
Out of total of 160 tea gardens in the country, 140 are in Sylhet region, most of them in Moulvibazar and Habiganj.
Habiganj Palli Bidyut Samity and Moulvibazar Palli Bidyut Samity supply electricity to most of the gardens in the two districts. The condition in gardens under Habiganj Palli Bidyut Samities is worse mainly due to frequent power outage.
Processing of tealeaf in factories is seriously affected due to load shedding, a least thrice a day. Low voltage creates another problem for the industry.
After plucking from gardens, tea leaves need withering, cutting, fermenting, drying and sorting to make those ready for sale. All these need accurate timing in each stage. It power goes without prior schedule, a total dislocation in the whole chain system is created, resulting in fall in quality.
Talking to the Daily Star, Mohammad Shahjahan, manager of Samonbhag Tea Estate in Barlekha upazila, yesterday said load shedding for 5 to 6 hours a day is a regular phenomenon. Besides, low voltage is causing great inconvenience in smooth running of the factory.
Besides, we are badly suffering from the frequent fluctuation in voltage, he added.
“Tea processing is very sensitive. It needs uninterrupted power supply. If the production process in interrupted, quality is affected.
“The situation is worse this year compared to that of last year”, he said.
There was 260 hours' load shedding from January 1 to April 20 in tea gardens in Juri valley while it was for about 160 hours in 20 days only from April 1, the sources said. Both production and quality of tea fell drastically due to frequent power outage, they said.
Alternative arrangement cannot ensure steady supply, the manager of Samonbhag Tea Estate said. Only a few multinational companies have alternative arrangement for power supply, which also can not be used properly for other reasons, the sources said.
Tea gardens in the region need about 50 to 60 megawatt power while up to 20 megawatt is being supplied on an average. Habiganj Palli Bidtyut Samity and Moulvibazar Palli Bidyut Samity, which supply power to most of the gardens have a total demand for about 80 megawatt power while they do not get up to 30 megawatt now, the sources said.
In each of the six tea growing valleys, there is 180 hours' load shedding in a week, they added.
An official at Bangladesh Tea Research institute (BTRI) said, tea production this year had a good start with a favourable weather. Rainfall as well as sunshine was suitable at the beginning of the season in March. But a drought like situation is prevailing in some gardens for last two weeks, they said.
Tea production and processing needs adequate rainfall with uniform distribution, fertilisation, sunshine and uninterrupted power supply.
Tea production target for the current year has been fixed at 60 million kg against last year's production of 56 million kg.
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