According to the data from the Bangladesh Tea Bureau (state-run unit), the output of tea and tea packing materials in Bangladesh soared to a record high in September this year, reaching 14.74 million kilograms, a year-on-year increase of 17%, setting a new record. The Bangladesh Tea Board attributed this to favorable weather, rational distribution of subsidized fertilizers, regular monitoring by the Ministry of Commerce and the Tea Board, and efforts by tea plantation owners and workers to overcome strikes in August. Earlier, tea plantation owners claimed that the strike would affect production and cause loss of business. From August 9th, tea workers held a two-hour strike every day to demand a wage increase. From August 13, they began an indefinite strike on tea plantations across the country.
While workers are returning to work, many are dissatisfied with the different conditions attached to the daily wages and say the facilities offered by tea plantation owners are mostly not in line with reality. The chairman of the tea bureau said that although the strike caused a temporary suspension of production, work in the tea gardens resumed quickly. He added that due to the continuous efforts of tea plantation owners, traders and workers, as well as various initiatives by the government, the production capacity of the tea industry has increased significantly. Tea production in Bangladesh has expanded over the past decade. According to data from the Tea Bureau, the total output in 2021 will be about 96.51 million kilograms, an increase of about 54% over 2012. It was the highest yield in the country’s 167-year history of commercial tea cultivation. In the first nine months of 2022, the output of 167 tea gardens in Bangladesh will be 63.83 million kilograms. The chairman of the Bangladesh Tea Merchants Association said that the local tea consumption is growing at a rate of 6% to 7% every year, which also drives the consumption growth of tea pots.
According to industry insiders, in Bangladesh, 45 percent of tea cups are consumed at home, while the rest are consumed at tea stalls, restaurants and offices. Indigenous tea brands dominate the Bangladeshi domestic market with a 75% market share, with non-branded producers occupying the remainder. The country’s 167 tea gardens cover an area of nearly 280,000 acres (approximately equal to 1.64 million acres). Bangladesh is currently the ninth largest tea producer in the world, accounting for about 2% of the total global tea production