Rafikul Islam
Bangladesh celebrated its maiden National Tea Day on Friday.
“The demand for Bangladeshi tea and its production are increasing at home and abroad,” Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi told a programme in Dhaka as he unveiled two hybrid varieties of tea.
There are 167 tea gardens in Bangladesh. Last year, the country produced 86.39 million kilograms of tea and exported 2.17 million kilograms.
Munshi said the government has taken various initiatives to boost production.
He said they decided to observe the National Tea Day to remember the outstanding contribution of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who served as the first Bangalee chairman of the Tea Board from June 4, 1957 to October 23, 1958.
At the programme, Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmad said the government is providing different types of policy and financial support to tea growers. The workers, too, are being benefitted, he noted.
Bangladesh Tea Board Chairman Maj Gen Md Zahirul Islam, Commerce Secretary Tapan Kanti Ghosh, Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries President Md Jashim Uddin, among others, participated in the inaugural ceremony.
