HABIGANJ, May 11: Continuous heavy rainfall, cyclone-induced adverse weather and frequent power outages have severely disrupted normal operations at several tea gardens in Bahubal Upazila of Habiganj, causing major losses in both production and processing.
Sources concerned said persistent rainfall over the past several days has hampered scheduled tea leaf plucking operations. As a result, many tea leaves have become overmature and turned into coarse leaves, while the incidence of banji condition has also increased. In addition, the lack of sunlight and excessive humidity have affected the natural growth and maturity of tea leaves, negatively impacting the quality of tea production.
Meanwhile, strong winds and stormy weather triggered by the cyclone have damaged branches of many tea plants. Heavy rainfall also caused landslides in some areas, affecting land structure and disrupting production systems. Industry insiders fear the situation could lead to delays in the production cycle and create a "late siding" condition in the gardens.
Frequent load-shedding has further worsened the crisis, as several tea factories have been unable to process freshly plucked green leaves on time. This has resulted in spoilage of fresh leaves and significant deterioration in tea quality, according to officials concerned.
Overall, adverse weather conditions and the ongoing electricity crisis have created serious challenges for maintaining both production and quality in the tea industry of Bahubal Upazila. At least five tea gardens in the upazila are feared to suffer losses amounting to several crores of taka.
M Kawsar, Unit Representative of the Bangladesh Tea Estate Staff Association, said, "Frequent power outages are severely disrupting green leaf manufacturing activities. Since processing cannot be completed on time, the quality of production is deteriorating and financial losses are increasing. Uninterrupted electricity supply is essential to keep the tea industry running."
Sohail Ahmed Pathan, manager of Amtali Plantation, one of the prominent tea gardens in the Sylhet division, said the gardens were facing severe losses due to adverse weather and electricity problems.
"We urgently need cooperation and necessary guidance from the authorities concerned to tackle the situation quickly," he added.
