The thriving tea sector is boosting economy of the sub-Himalayan Panchagarh district bringing solvency to many farmers as well as farm-workers improving their life standard and livelihoods, reports BSS.

Beginning from 2000, small, marginal and bigger farmers and investors are showing interests in tea farming on the plain land in the sub-Himalayan district as a cash crop.

Officials of Bangladesh Tea Board (BTB) at its Panchagarh regional office said tea production is showing faster growth changing economic condition of the farmers as well as farm-workers, including poor women.

“Tea farming continues increasing on ‘small-scale gardening basis’ in Panchagarh since beginning of its cultivation in 2000 as thought by the then Prime Mistier Sheikh Hasina,” said Senior Scientific Officer of BTB Dr Mohammad Shameem Al Mamun.

Currently, tea is being cultivated on 2,265 hectares of land, including 2,105 hectares in Panchagarh and 160 hectares in adjoining Thakurgaon, against 1,845 hectares of land last year in these two northern districts.

Tea is being cultivated in nine tea estates and 18 gardens and vast land of around 450 small-scale farmers in these two districts where production of ‘made-tea’ increased by 70 percent last year.