The government is set to hold the first-ever three-day tea exposition in January next year aiming to promote local tea by boosting production and its export, officials said.
The event titled 'Bangladesh Tea Exposition-2017' will be held from January 12 to 14 in the capital. Bangladesh Tea Board (BTB), which is under the ministry of commerce (MoC), will organise the event.
To develop the country's tea sector, the government has drawn up 'A Roadmap to Success: Bangladesh Tea Industry' aiming to achieve tea production target by 2025 and overall development of the sector.
The objectives of the event are to increase annual tea production to 100 million kgs by 2025 (additional 34 million kgs from the present production) by expanding tea cultivation to 10,000 hectares of land.
The average tea production per hectare is now around 1,320 kgs which will be increased to 1,520 kgs by 2025.
Besides, 1,838 new machineries will be procured for tea processing industries and 4,500 manually-operated deep tube wells will be installed for tea gardens.
Per capita local tea consumption is now around 400 gm.
At present, local demand for tea is increasing by 3.23 per cent against two per cent annually.
The country has suitable places for expanding tea gardens in the northern parts and three hill districts.
Big local tea companies and stakeholders of the sector are expected to participate in the forthcoming exposition.
"The exposition will help the country's branding and increase our export and help develop the sector," senior secretary of the ministry of commerce (MoC) Hedayetullah Al Mamoon told the FE.
There are 166 tea gardens in the country which have an average combined production capacity of around 65 million kgs annually.
The tea sector employs directly around 95,734 people (women and men). About 409,628 people are indirectly dependent on the sector.
The demand for tea for local consumption is between 75 million kgs and 83 million kgs.
In 2015, the country had set a target to produce 64 million kgs of tea. The production surpassed the target which was 67.38 million kgs.
Until October 2016, the country produced 71.58 million kgs of tea against the target of 65 million kgs.
The country exported 0.49 million kgs in 2015, according to the Bangladesh Tea Board.
An official of the BTB said until October 2016 around 6.9 million kgs of tea were also imported.
He said the government has established a fund of Tk 10 million for welfare of tea garden workers.
The local consumption of tea and production are simultaneously increasing day by day. If the present trend continues without big investment in the sector, then the country might become solely a tea-importing country.
In this case, the government roadmap needs to be implemented for betterment of the country's tea sector, according to the industry insiders.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com
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