The prevailing drought-like conditions have reduced soil moisture, affecting the growth of tea plants, leaving different gardens in Panchagarh all dried up.
As the district did not have rainfall in the last three months, previously green tea leaves in many gardens have dried up, even though the growers are trying to irrigate their fields through deep tube wells. All of their efforts have become futile.
Growers said sufficient rainfall is needed for good tea harvest in the month of February and March, but there was no rainfall in the district during that period.
They said many tea gardens are being attacked by red spider pests as the temperature is increasing day by day.
During a recent visit to a few Tea Gardens in Panchagarh, this correspondent saw that many tea plants and tea saplings in the gardens have dried up in this dry weather. Tea leaf plucking is getting delayed this year due to the absence of expected rainfall and the lack of irrigation facilities, many growers told the correspondent.
They said tea saplings need balanced rainfall and sunshine, especially during the period from March to September-October, while a minimum rainfall during October-December and February-April periods is also very important for its growth.
Moreover, the processing of the tea leaves is being severely hampered currently at all six tea processing factories in the district following the drastic reduction in the supply of green tea leaves.
Most of the water reservoirs have dried up because of the lack of seasonal rainfall. This is adversely affecting the normal growth of tender tea leaves and the growth of the newly pruned branches and saplings in the gardens in recent weeks, said Sayed Shoaib Ahmed, chief operating officer of the Kazi&Kazi Tea Estate in Tetulia.
He said there was almost no rainfall at the beginning of the year. The sensitive crop suffered much from the fluctuating temperatures and sunshine.
Soil nutrients are also gradually falling. Tea planters also need to arrange for water reservoirs to manage irrigation, he said.
Manager of the Karatoa Tea Garden & Factory Mozahidul Hannan Nipun told this correspondent that if the situation continues, production targets will not be met in the current season.
Manager of the Saliland Tea Estate in Panchagarh Abdus Salam said they have put their all facilities in operation around the clock, but are still failing to provide adequate irrigation to their tea gardens.
Manager of the North Bengal Central Tea Industry Sheikh Jahid Hossain said they have closed down the tea processing due to the inadequate supply of green tea leaves. For this reason the factory is running only two days in a week.
Tea cultivators demanded that the Bangladesh Tea Board help tea growers to irrigate their fields as tea cultivators in Panchagarh are not solvent enough.
Tea growers Motiar Rahman and Moklesur Rahman called upon the authorities concerned for the irrigation of small-scale tea fields as they are unable to purchase costly machines to irrigate their larger tea fields. As tea cultivation is a promising industry, the government should take proper initiatives to promote and expand the export oriented tea production, they opined.
President of the Bangladesh Small Tea Garden Owners’ Association Abdul Jabbar said “We are demanding the arrangement of irrigation by the Tea Board to boost production of this export oriented produce.”
