Tea output may fall by 25pc this year
Gardens affected by scanty rain, high temperature and insect attack
Tea production in Sylhet region may fall by around 25 per cent this year due to inadequate rain and attack of plants by insects including red spider, industry sources said.
About three-fourth of tea gardens are in Moulvibazar and Hobiganj districts, which experienced rainfall far less than last year, they said. Out of 163 tea gardens in the country, 143 are located in Sylhet region, of which 117 are in Moulvibazar and Hobiganj.
Tea production target this year is 60 million kilograms against last year's production of 57.96 million kilograms, up from the previous year's 53.41 million kilograms.
Tea gardens have been attacked by white ants, red spiders and mosquitoes named Helopeltis, in addition to red rust, which damage roots of plants. Rats are also causing damage, they said.
Tea gardens in Balishira, Monu-Dholai, Laskerpur, Juri and Longla tea valleys in Moulvibazar and Hobiganj districts have been severely affected by lack of rain.
The Daily Star Correspondents visited a number of gardens in Moulvibazar, Habiganj and Sylhe recently. Tea buds and leaves are drying up due to lack of rain. If this situation continues, buds and leaves will not grow, garden officials said.
In some areas green tea leaves have turned yellowish and cracks have appeared on lands due to dry spell, they said.
Last week's scanty rain in the areas will not be able to offset the damage already caused by lack of rain from October to May, officials at Bangladesh Tea Research Institute (BTRI) at Srimongal said.
Tea needs 200 mm rainfall between November and December and 450 mm rainfall between January and March for normal production. But there was virtually no rain from October last year to April this year, they said.
Shamim Khan, manager of Uttarbhag Tea Estate said, 10,000 kilograms of tea were produced in his garden this time last year. This year, only 4,000 kilograms has so far been produced.
He said 25 to 28 degree Celsius temperature is suitable for tea. But it reached 40 degree Celsius in April this year, he added.
BTRI Director Dr Maynul Haque said scanty rain and excessive temperature has caused attack by insects. Life cycle of red spiders increase with rise of temperature, tea expert Dr Maynul said.
He said, the upper layer of green tea leaf is the main food of red spider.
Load shedding is affecting processing of the sensitive export item.
Talking to The Daily Star, Mohammad Shahjahan Akand, chief of Juri valley chapter of Bangladeshiyo Cha Sangsad and manager of New Samonbhag Tea Estate in Barlekha, said, load shedding for at least 5 to 6 hours a day and low voltage have become a regular feature in garden areas.
Tea leaf processing is very sensitive, which needs uninterrupted power supply, absence of which degrades the quality. The situation is worse this year, he said.
The tea gardens in the region need about 50 to 60 Megawatt electricity while the supply is only 20 Megawatt. The Habiganj Palli Bidtyut Samities and Moulvibazar Palli Bidyut Samities, who supply power to most of the gardens have a total demand for about 80 Megawatt but they hardly get 30 Megawatt, he said.
After plucking, tea leaves need withering, cutting, fermenting, drying and sorting, which need accurate temperature and timing in each stage. If power goes without prior notice, the system is disrupted, resulting in fall in quality.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments