Amid the ongoing heatwave and insufficient rainfall, various diseases and pests have spread in tea gardens of Moulvibazar, fearing less production this year.
Tea workers said that red spiders and mosquitoes had attacked tea plants in the plantation area of the gardens.
鈥楧uring this favourable season of tea production, the tea plants are discoloured and curled due to the attack of insects. This condition has appeared in section after section of gardens,鈥� they said.
Workers also said that they were in trouble as plucking tea leaves had become difficult in the scorching heat, affecting their income.
Selim Reza, manager of Zerin tea garden in Srimangal, said that the normal production of tea was being disrupted due to extreme heat.
鈥榃ith the increasing heat, various diseases are spreading among tea plants and workers day by day,鈥� he added.
However, experts, engaged in tea research work under the Bangladesh Tea Board, are not concerned about the production.
鈥楾he second drought of tea season is passing now. At this time, a drought hits the tea industry and it has been happening for the last three decades,鈥� said Ismail Hossain, director of Bangladesh Tea Research Centre.
鈥楤ut this year, the temperature is slightly higher. So, we are working every day on it, taking the matter seriously. I am visiting the affected gardens and giving proper advice to the workers,鈥� he continued.
Rain is considered as boon for tea production. But for the past few days, the heatwave has had a great impact on the tea gardens of the district, as there is no rain to any extent.
The meteorological office of Srimangal in Moulvibazar reported that the temperature rose to an average of 38 degrees Celsius in the third week of April.
Golam Mohammad Shibli, general manager of Srimangal鈥檚 Bharaura tea division and chairman of Sylhet branch of the Bangladeshi Tea Association, said that 20 to 25 degrees Celsius was the best temperature for tea plants.
鈥楾ea plants can withstand heat up to 29 degrees Celsius. If the temperature goes above it, it will affect the production. However, shaded tea can tolerate 35 to 37 degrees Celsius in the gardens,鈥� he added.
A total of 6,700 tea pants are planted per acre in each tea garden, where, on an average, 300 to 350 shade trees are sowed. But there is a shortage of shade trees in nearly half of the garden in Moulvibazar.
Meanwhile, workers said that their daily wages of were fixed on the basis of the amount of tea leaves. Though they were paid for 24 kg leaves on the regular basis, no one can pluck more than 20 kg in a day then.
Normally, many of the tea workers get extra money by plucking more leaves above the daily limit (24 kg) and this is very important for them to run the family well with their main wages. But the ongoing heatwave plays havoc with their extra income.
Niyati Kurmi, worker of Deorachhra tea garden in Kamalganj upazila, said that they were not able to pluck even 24 kg of tea leaves per day as insects damaged the leaves badly.
According to the Bangladesh Tea Board, there are 92 tea gardens in Moulvibazar, 25 in Habiganj, 19 in Sylhet. A total of 9.38 million kg of tea was produced in 167 gardens in the country in 2022, which was 3 per cent less than the previous year (9.65 million kg).
Last season, a record production of 10,00,20,000 kg of tea leaves was produced from more than 2,85,000 acres of land across the country.
