A top-level move has been made to set up a new tea-auction centre in Panchagarh to ensure profitable trade in the widely consumed drink, which now grows in plenty in northern plains, officials said.
The Cabinet Division has asked the commerce ministry to take steps regarding the proposed auction centre by necessary experiment in the northern-most district.
The prime minister has given approval for a recent cabinet division proposal in this connection, they added.
Panchagarh district is a pioneer of small-scale tea cultivation in plain land. Around 10,170 acres of land in Panchagarh and adjoining districts has been brought under tea cultivation, according to the division.
Until September 2021, over 10.5 million kilograms of tea produced in the Panchagarh district, an increase by 3.1 million kgs from that of the corresponding period of last year.
Generally, the tea of Panchagarh and adjoining districts' gardens sell at the auction centres of Chattogram and Sreemangal that increases the transport and other related costs borne by owners and traders, says the cabinet division proposal.
Besides, it mentions, the produced tea sells at relatively lower prices at the aforementioned auction hubs. For this, small-scale tea producers have to count losses.
The plain-land tea will be sold in Panchagarh if the proposed third centre is established in the northern frontier district. "Simultaneously, it will be possible to prevent tea smuggling, increase revenue, ensure fair price for the producers and reduce production cost at factories," reads the cabinet document.
The elite administrative division has also asked the commerce ministry to inform it about the progress in this connection.
A major contribution to the growth in production of the cash crop in recent times is made by northern tea planters.
Small-scale commercial cultivation of tea in the region started in 2000 and is expanding every year in Panchagarh and adjoining districts of Thakurgaon, Nilphamari, Dinajpur and Lalmonirhat, changing the backwoods belt's economic ecosystem, say farmers concerned.
Small-holding gardening or tea farming has proved highly profitable in the region. Besides, tea cultivation brings fortune to many farmers and creates employment opportunities for the poor in the areas.
Acreage of tea cultivation increased rapidly in the area. In 2002, tea cultivation started off only with 455 acres.
There are 27 registered/unregistered tea gardens in Panchagarh and adjoining Thakurgaon, Nilphamari, Dinajpur and Lalmonirhat districts. Besides, there are 5,000 small-scale tea gardens, springing up spontaneously.
The government has set a target of increasing Bangladesh's tea production to 140 million kgs by 2025, aiming to meet the country's growing demand and increase its exports, according to the commerce ministry.
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