Farmers cultivating tea on flat land in Panchagarh have changed the idea that tea cultivation requires hilly sloping land. The once fallow land or one crop land is now full of green tea leaves. Not only that, Panchagarh has taken place as the third tea region of the country after the hilly region and Sylhet. As the quality of tea has improved, it has already taken place in the international market. Large garden owners as well as small tea growers are growing at an equal pace as the profits are higher than other comparative crops.

In the last one year, the scope of tea cultivation has increased in about one and a half thousand acres of land in the district. 18 tea processing factories have been set up in the district. Farmers are benefiting financially as factory owners buy tea leaves at a cash price. If there is no natural calamity, the district is expected to produce one crore kg of tea in the current tea season.

Local tea growers say the benefits of tea cultivation are higher than other crops. Moreover, they are increasing the scope of tea cultivation day by day as they have the opportunity to collect leaves for 80 to 100 years by cultivating tea once.

Panchagarh Tea Board Project Director. Mohammad Shamim Al Mamun says tea growers are becoming interested in providing the necessary technical training and other facilities.

According to the Panchagarh Tea Board, green tea was cultivated in 2002 on 455 acres of land. At present, the area has increased to 10,170 acres. Last year, 95,49,325 kg of tea was produced in the district.

Sunbd/NJ