Rubber farming on land leased for tea in Habiganj

HABIGANJ, Apr 7 (UNB): Despite growing demand, 50 per cent of the total 24 tea gardens in Habiganj are not cultivating tea while many of them are cultivating rubber instead of tea. Lack of interest in investment, weak management and adverse weather condition are leading the foreign currency earner crop to ruination. There are 24 tea gardens under the management of the government, foreign companies and private ownership in the district. These gardens are at Rema, Nalua, Parkul, Lalchand, Chandpur, Laskarpur, Satchhari, Amu, Chandichhara, Chaklapunji, Deundi and Sribari of Chunarughat upazila, jagodishpur, Teliapara, Nayapara, Boikanthapur and Surma of Madhabpur upazila, Madhupur, Brindaban, Amtoli and Rashidpur of Bahubal upazila and Imam and Bawani of Nabiganj upazila. According to sources at the district administration, total land of these gardens is about 34,494 hectares. Of this, leased out land is about 34, 180 hectares. Of the leased land, tea is being cultivated on 18,402 hectares. According to the government rule and agreement, the leased land must be used only for tea cultivation. Tea cultivation is to be expanded every year by 2.5 per cent of the total cultivable land; but the rule is being ignored. On the contrary, rubber, paddy and other crops are being cultivated on the land meant for tea. In Surma Tea Garden, the amount of leased land is 4454.39 acres but tea cultivation takes place on only 2,134 acres. Manager of the tea garden MA Kashem said the garden has 2,200 workers instead of 1,200. Due to absence of investment and increased production cost, the cultivation is not increasing. At present, eight to nine lakh kilograms of tea is being produced which could easily be increased to 10 lakh kgs. Deputy manager of Chandpur Tea Garden said they are cultivating rubber with approval from the government and rubber is being produced on its 47 hectares of land. On the other hand, many are getting interested in cultivating rubber. Rubber cultivation is going on at large scale in the district's Chakla, Lalchan, Teliapara and Surma areas. Habiganj Additional Deputy Commissioner (revenue) Dilip Kumar Banik said there is no provision of cultivating other crops on the leased land than tea. The government has not given permission to cultivate rubber on a tea garden, he added. Nalua Tea Garden manager Zahirul Huq said due to hostile weather, production of tea is gradually reducing. Sources said on each hectare of land, tea is supposed to be produced up to 1,800 kgs but it is now produced up to only 1,100 kgs to 1,200 kgs. For the above mentioned reasons, production of tea has come down by two crore kgs annually in Habiganj.