Sreemangal in Moulvibazar, known as the tea capital of the country has been experiencing incessant rain and stroking wind for the last few days after the region was hit hard by heatwave. As a result, tea gardens are getting a new lease of life.
The owners of 92 tea orchards in the region hope that this will help achieve the production target.
When this correspondent visited some tea gardens in the upazila, he found that the withered leaves of tea were getting new life. And the gardens have turned green which became yellow due to drought and downpours. The plants are budding and they are getting back their beauty.
Before this, tea plants suffered greatly due to intense heatwaves. Some plants wilted, while others were affected by a red disease. Production in the 92 tea gardens picked up pace with the onset of production season.
About four months ago, the tea garden authorities started trimming the tea plants in the tea garden. As a result, the tea garden was becoming rough and dry. 20 to 25 degrees Celsius is best for tea. However, tea plants can withstand heat up to 29 degrees.
However, during the previous heatwave, the temperature in the tea garden was above 36 degrees. Due to this severe heatwave, the tea industry faced a crisis. To revive the tea plant, water was being given artificially to the plants.
But with the recent scattered rainfall, new leaves have emerged on the pruned tea bushes. Tea plants have been protected from attacks by various pests. The new life has returned to the plants under the shade of rainfall. This natural rainfall has proven to be very beneficial for tea gardens, said concerns of tea gardens.
Local sources said various tea gardens including Bharaura, Zareen, Phulcchara, and Kalighat were lush with greenery stretching from one plant to another. The plants are filled with leaves, and workers in the several tea gardens are happily plucking new shoots evenly.
Selim Reza, the Assistant General Manager of Ispahani Zareen Tea Garden, said that at the beginning of the year, tea leaf production had fallen behind due to the lack of rainfall. Concerns were raised due to the heatwave, however, now peace of mind has returned. The soil moisture is increasing, and fertilisers are being applied.
However, with the scattered rainfall over the past week, tea plants have started growing again. As the yield increases, so will the target of tea production.
“During the severe heatwave, tea plants were suffering, with leaves wilting and drying out. At such times, the rainfall has brought relief to tea producers. This natural rainfall has proven to be very beneficial for tea gardens,” said the owner of Srigobindpur Tea Estate Md Mohsin Mia.
Golam Mohammad Shibli, chairman of Bangladesh Tea Association in Sylhet, said, “Due to prolonged absence of rainfall and higher temperatures, new leaves were not growing in the gardens, leading to reduced production. Lack of new shoots, water scarcity, and attacks by red spider mites were prevalent in almost all tea gardens. Due to this rainfall, tea bushes have regained vitality. Now new shoots will emerge on the tea bushes, and plucking will begin.”
Director of Bangladesh Tea Board Project Development Unit AKM Rafiqul Haque said, “Rainfall is very beneficial for tea plants. Trimmed tea plants will soon sprout new shoots. Already, trimming of some tea plants has begun. Thanks to the rainfall, new shoots will quickly emerge on the tea bushes. Garden owners will be able to proceed quickly with tea leaf selection and processing.”
Md Ismail Hossain, director (Charge) of Bangladesh Tea Research Institute, said, "Due to prolonged absence of rainfall and higher temperatures, new leaves were not growing in the gardens, leading to reduced production. Lack of new shoots, water scarcity, and attacks by red spider mites were prevalent in almost all tea gardens.”
He added, “Due to severe heatwave, the irrigation provided by the garden authorities every day was not able to fully protect the tea plants. After intense pressure, continuous rainfall is now reviving the vitality of the garden.”
