Why tea production declined drastically in the plains
The land under tea cultivation across the region has shrunk by at least 1,000 acres in the past year
The flatlands tea industry in northern Bangladesh is facing a crisis, with recent figures showing a drastic decline in production and cultivation area.
Reports from the region, notably from Panchagarh, detail how despairing farmers are being forced to uproot their tea bushes, which is having a significant impact on national output.
According to data from the Bangladesh Tea Board, tea production on around 11,750 acres of land across the five northern districts – Panchagarh, Thakurgaon, Lalmonirhat, Dinajpur, and Nilphamari – fell by approximately 35.8 lakh (3.58 million) kilogram in the 2024 season compared to the previous year. Specifically, Panchagarh's flatlands tea sector alone saw a staggering drop of at least 34 lakh (3.4 million) kilograms.
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The total production for the five districts in 2024 stood at 14.39 million kilograms, significantly lower than the preceding season. Furthermore, the land under tea cultivation across the region has shrunk by 569 acres in the past year, with the overall area being the second-largest tea-producing region after Sylhet.
The total tea production across the country in 2024 was 93 million kilograms.
Farmers abandon tea
The human cost of the crisis is evident in Panchagarh, where growers are switching to vegetable farming. Shahjalal, a farmer in Panchagarh sadar, is a notable example. After suffering losses amounting to lakhs of taka, he cut down the seven-acre tea garden he had nurtured for 15 years and converted the land to vegetable production.
His story is not unique. Farmers and industry insiders blame a "syndicate" formed by factory owners, a lack of fair prices for the green leaf, and resultant poor maintenance – such as a failure to irrigate or use pesticides – for the production slump.
"We were getting between Tk12 and Tk16 per kilogram of leaf over four years since 2020," explained Azharul Hoque, a local grower who reluctantly chopped down two and a half acres of his 20-acre garden last year despite subsidising it with Tk5 lakh annually. "The price was between Tk28 and Tk37 back in 2019."
Although the market price for green leaf has recently improved, fetching between Tk25 and Tk30 per kilogram this season, the preceding years of instability have driven many away.
Shahinul Islam, another farmer who cut down 25 bighas (roughly 8.3 acres) of his tea garden, noted, "Costs for fertilisers, pesticides, and labour are constantly rising, but the price of tea leaf is uncertain. Why would farmers stay in such an unstable industry?"
Call for government intervention
Tea cultivation began in Panchagarh in the year 2000, emerging as an alternative after the local sugar mill suffered continuous losses and farmers incurred losses on sugarcane crops. The region now hosts 30 registered and unregistered large tea estates, along with nearly 8,400 small gardens.
Experts are urging the government to step in to prevent the industry's collapse. The key recommendation from those involved is to elevate tea to an export-oriented product under state patronage.
"To save this industry, the government must create an avenue for export," said Azharul. "Otherwise, local syndicates will continue to bleed the farmers dry."
Concerns also stem from a lack of government-allocated fertiliser, as tea is a product under the commerce ministry. "If the government doesn't establish an export policy, farmers will turn their backs on this sector," warned an industry source, noting that Bangladesh has struggled to penetrate key markets, including those previously served in Pakistan, where Chinese tea has now become dominant.
Md Arif Khan, acting officer at the Tea Board's Panchagarh Regional Office, acknowledged the dire situation: "It is undeniable that the fall in leaf prices led to a loss of interest and, in some cases, farmers cutting down their gardens, which is now affecting production."
He remains cautiously optimistic, however, noting that the rise in leaf prices this season suggests growers are "bouncing back from the miserable situation of the past."
