The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

Bangladesh Tea Board (BTB) is implementing four projects to ensure supply of high yield variety (HYV) tea plants, fertilisers and sprayers and provide training for small tea growers in improved tea cultivation.

The projects are aimed to raise production and quality, and boost export earnings, said BTB sources.

One of the BTB projects, Small Holding Tea Cultivation in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), was started in August, 2003 at an estimated cost of Taka 10.29 crore.

The project, due to be completed by July 2010, was designed to motivate the small farmers to cultivate tea in small holdings, create self- employment, alleviate poverty and improve the socio- economic condition of the poor farmers.

Under this project, farmers will be organized in small holdings to grow tea plants in an area of 100 hectares of land at Rangamati, 100 hectares at Khagrachari and 300 hectares at Bandarban.

The project would help utilize the privately owned and uneconomic lands of the CHT in a more productive and economic way.

The sources said 10.2 percent work of the project, sponsored by the commerce ministry, was completed spending Taka 1.08 crore till May this year.

The Board is implementing the "Expansion of Tea Export by Raising and Distributing HYV Clonal Tea Plants to the Poor Ethnic Small Growers of Bandarban Hill District" at a cost of Taka 9.36 crore under the sponsorship of the European Commission.

The project was taken to alleviate poverty of the ethnic small growers of Bandarban hill district and improve their living standard and impart knowledge, skill and training to small growers and project related officers of BTB in small tea holding concept and tea culture.

The project is aimed to facilitate tea production by raising 1,500,000 HYV clonal tea plants for distribution to the poor ethnic small growers at Bandarban for planting in the field and also to facilitate more production of tea to meet growing internal demand and for export.

Till May this year, the sources said, 70.3 percent of the project work was completed. The project would be completed by September this year.

The Tea Board's "Development of Small Holding Tea Cultivation in Northern Bangladesh" project began on January 2002 to be completed by December 2009.

The Board in collaboration with Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank (RAKUB) is implementing the project under the sponsorship of the commerce ministry.

The aim of the project is to alleviate poverty through job creation and other income generating activities, train the farmers and acquaint them with the different released verities.

One of the objectives of the project is to organize the farmers of northern districts of the country to grow tea in an area of 600 hectares and also to establish one demonstration plot and two nucleus plots, each of 1.00 acre, to disseminate the technical know-how for tea plantation and supply planting materials.

The Taka 10.97 crore project is being funded by the Tea Board and RAKUB and so far 66 percent work has been done at a cost of Taka 1.74 crore.

The project titled "Rehabilitation and Development of 44 Least Developed Tea Estates (LDTEs) in Greater Sylhet and Chittagong Districts" was started in July 2004 to organize and motivate the owners and management of LDTEs for bringing their land utilization ratio close to National Tea Land usage target by planting tea.