Severe load shedding amid the ongoing heatwave is disrupting tea processing and production across Moulvibazar, raising concerns over production targets, rising costs and the quality of tea.
The district is home to 93 tea gardens, many of which are experiencing prolonged power outages during the peak tea-producing season. The frequent interruptions have severely hampered factory operations, while the use of generators to keep processing units running has significantly increased production costs.
Tea industry officials said frequent power cuts and fluctuations are also damaging expensive machinery and disrupting critical stages of tea processing.
Tahsin Ahmed Chowdhury, chief operating officer of Finlay Tea Company in Sreemangal, and GM Shibli, chairman of the Sylhet branch of the Bangladesh Tea Association, expressed serious concerns over maintaining tea quality and meeting production targets.
They said uninterrupted electricity is essential for every stage of processing, including drying freshly plucked leaves at the required temperature, rolling and crushing the leaves, and the oxidation process.
“Delays in processing the leaves at the appropriate time are affecting the quality of tea,” they said.
The prolonged outages, both during the day and at night, are also disrupting education, businesses, agriculture and emergency healthcare services across the district. Children, elderly people and patients are suffering the most amid the intense heat.
Students are particularly affected by extended nighttime power cuts, which are making it difficult for them to study. Many families are also being forced to endure sleepless nights due to the heat and lack of electricity.
Bangladesh Tea Board Chairman Major General Mesbah Uddin Ahmed acknowledged that the power crisis was causing losses to tea production. He said the government was working to resolve the problem and expressed hope that the situation would improve soon.
Indrajit Debnath, superintendent engineer of the Operation and Maintenance Division of the Moulvibazar Bangladesh Power Development Board, also said the electricity crisis would be resolved soon and that the situation would not continue for long.
Moulvibazar Palli Bidyut Samity General Manager Engineer Sujit Kumar Biswas acknowledged the severe load shedding amid the heatwave.
“Due to inadequate electricity supply against demand, disruptions are occurring in power distribution to consumers. However, we hope the problem will be resolved very soon,” he said.
According to Bangladesh Tea Board data, the country has set a target of producing 104 million kg of tea in 2026.
