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Share A Study on Origin Development And Issues Related to Tea Gardening Sylhet Bangladesh.pdf - 1 MB

Share A Study on Origin Development And Issues Related to Tea Gardening Sylhet Bangladesh.pdf - 1 MB



A STUDY ON
ORIGIN, DEVELOPMENT AND
ISSUES RELATED TO TEA GARDENING
SYLHET, BANGLADESH














Acknowledgement
The study entitled “A study on Origin, Development and Issues related to tea gardening, Sylhet, Bangladesh” was undertaken by Department of Geography and Environment, University of Dhaka. It was an attempt to understand the present socio economic condition of tea workers, and find out there social and Environmental problems related to tea garden.
The study was organized by the Department of Geography and Environment, University of Dhaka and financed both by the department and students. I am very grateful and showing my profound gratitude to Dr. Md. Humayun Kabir, Associate Professor, Department of Geography and Environment, University of Dhaka for his scholastic guidance, monitoring and constant encouragement for implementing the study. Without his guidance this won’t be conceivable to achieve fruition of the study. The blessing, help and guidance given by him time to time shall carry me a long way in the journey of life on which I am about to embark.
I would also like to thank Professor Dr. Rejwan Hossain Bhuiyan, Professor Dr. Hafiza Khatun, and Asib Ahmed, lecturer Department of Geography and Environment, University of Dhaka for their guidance and constant encouragement for carrying out the study.
Again I would like to show my gratitude to the Owner, Manager and others of Burjan Tea Estates limited for his support, suggestions and information during the study period.
The teachers of Department of Food Engendering and Tea technology, SUST should be recognized by me for their sincere help, felicitation and presentation on tea which gave a great idea on tea plantation and its origin and development.
Finally I would like to acknowledge the students of Geography and Environment, University of Dhaka for their cooperation and hard work to make this study possible.

Abstract
Tea is a long established plantation crop of enormous economic importance to Bangladesh meeting the entire domestic demand of this cheapest health beverage. Tea workers are the main well power for the progress of the tea gardens. The present study is about the socio economic condition of the Sylhet tea gardens. It is including the demographic, economic, social, socio economic and as well as the environmental aspects related to the workers of Sylhet tea garden. It is also posing their needs, benefits, lacking and progress relate to the tea garden. Finally the study giving some recommendations and suggestions to develop the present scenario and increasing the production of tea production.
Table of Contents








List of Figure

Fig 1:Tea Production and Tea Export(1961-2007)
Fig 2: Production, Export and Domestic consumption of tea in Bangladesh
Fig 3: Male Female Ratio of Sylhet Tea Garden Workers
Fig 4: Workers in Different Sectors of Sylhet Tea Garden
Fig5 : District of Origin
Fig 6: Housing type of Sylhet tea garden Workers
Fig 7: Wage Development of Sylhet Tea Workers
Fig 8: Wage satisfaction of Sylhet
Fig 9: Environmental issues related to Sylhet tea garden






CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Importance/ Significance of Research Work

Tea culture is an art, a science an epigraph of agro- industrial technology. There are multi- disciplinary concepts and technologies which are originated and blended from a wide array of physical, biological and agricultural science to give rise to the tea technology; Human civilization has hither to discover three non-alcoholic stimulating beverages, namely, coffee, cocoa and tea. Of these tea is regarded as the most popular temperance drink.
Tea cultivation in Bangladesh is spread over the hilly zone on the eastern side mainly in four districts namely Sylhet, Maulvibazar, Habigang, Chittagong and Panchagar. Bangladesh is producing more than 100 million kilogram tea annually forms about 1, 15,820.33 ha of land. Bangladesh export about 2.5 million kg of tea to about seventeen countries in 2011-12 years and earn about 25 crore TAKA.
At present 3, 50,314 populations are involved with the tea industry of which 49% are women. The amount of registered labor is 87,709 persons. There are some organizations in the Bangladesh who’s helping the tea industry in a lot more. The area of tea plantation has increased about 2.5 times after the creation of Bangladesh and increased about 4 times after starting of tea plantation in this region.
Tea is playing an important role in national economy. It is contributing to national GDP, earning foreign money and also meeting initial demand of internal people.IN 2013-14 years the internal amount of tea purchase 57.55 million kg value of about 10.098 billion take BDT and export was about 1.5 million kg earning about 0.2223 billion taka.
There is very less risk of heart disease as it prevents blood from clotting and helps to decrease cholesterol levels. And it also helps in shielding you from some of the most deadly diseases mankind has ever known. Some researches shows that having the 2 cups of tea every day can reduce your risk of developing ovarian cancer by 50% and also useful to exploit your body defenses to fight diseases like cancer and heart disease. Black tea protects you against cancers.






1.2 Objectives of the study

·         TO investigate the origin and development of tea plantation in study area
·         To assess the social, economic and environmental consequences of tea gardening
·         To find out the living condition of tea workers
·         To find out the education level of tea workers and their family
·         Finally to identify problems/ issues related to tea plantation in the study area

1.3 Methodology

1.3.1 Selecting Study Area

Out of 163 tea gardens of Bangladesh there are as many as 18 tea gardens existing in Sylhet Sadar Upazila and Jaintapur Upazila. Out of 18 tea gardens, two were selected by random sampling method considering the size and location of each garden. The tea gardens that were selected for the study were Khadim tea estate and Burjan tea estate of Sylhet Sadar Upazila. We also visited BTRI Tea Garden and Finlay Tea Garden in Shreemangal, Maulvibazar for data collection.

1.3.2 Selecting Respondents

In order to ensure proper representation, respondents were selected from two broad categories of managements, namely Burjan Tea Estate and Bangladesh Tea Board. A latest list of the number of households existing in each tea-garden was collected from the individual tea garden for the purpose of selecting the household respondents.
Four types of interview schedule were prepared. The total member of randomly selected respondents was 310. Out of 310 respondents, the number of male, female and adolescent boys/girls respondents was 282. Out of 1190 respondents, 112 respondents were adolescent boys/girls. There were 18 panchayet members, 06 staffs of management committee of each tea garden and 02 union council members among the total member of 1216 respondents. The age range of the respondents was (15-70) years.


1.3.3 Data Collection

Interview schedule with questionnaire and observation methods were mostly used to collect requisite data for the study. At first a draft schedule was prepared considering the objectives of the study. Then the schedule was pretested in the selected area among a few tea garden workers. After making necessary modification and correction, the final schedule was prepared. The interview schedule was both close and open ended. The research assistants collected data following survey method, using interview schedule. The data are collected during the period of the months February, 2014. After the collection of whole range of data, they were processed and tabulated.
Secondary data has been used in this study. Secondary data have been collected from different published documents of the Government like Economic Survey Reports, Statistical Yearbooks, journals and reviewed papers. Furthermore, various national and international organizations like NGO (BRAC), BTRI, World Bank etc. have been reviewed. In the analyses process of collected data, various statistical tools like averages, percentages, tables, and diagrams have been applied.
Primary Data
·         Direct field observation
·         Internal group observation with people involved in tea gardening
·         Key informant interview with garden owners/ managers/ associates
·         Individual interviews with employees/managers/ suns with sen structured questionnaires
Secondary Data
·         Brochures/ Reports/ Documents of the tea gardeners
·         Brochures/ Reports/ Documents of Tea Board
·         Theses/ Research reports/ Paper etc.
·         Internet source
·         Books


 

1.4 Limitation of the study

Time was the most limiting factor of the study. The study would more specify and more information would come if more time could be given. Major numbers of tea gardens owners are private company. So it was hard to collect all the facts from the company. Secondary data source is insufficient of this study. We had to depend on primary data only. The managing committee members are not available to talk with them. Otherwise we couldn’t get permission to talk with them. Respondent’s unconsciousness is a limiting factor. Sometimes respondents avoided some


















CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW


Tea is one of the most popular and lowest cost beverages in the world which is consumed by a large number of people. Because of its huge demand it is measured to be the major component on the global beverage market. The present demand for tea in 2013-2014 is estimated as 6.5 million tones which are expected to be rise in 2015 is about 10.57 million in volume whose market price would be about 69.77 billion. The demand of tea is increasing rapidly which can easily seen by the statistical information of world tea production. In year 2003 the yearly production of tea was measured as 3.21 million tones which increased to 4.52 million tones in year 2010. The production increased about 5.7% from 2003 to 2010 and it increase about 3.1% in 2010-2011. World’s most tea producing country is China and India who produce about 75% of total tea cultivated in the world. According to FAO in 2007 the largest importer of tea by Russian Federation, followed by the United Kingdom, Pakistan and United States. Kenya, China, India, and Sri Lanka are the largest tea exporter of tea who exported 374229,292199,193459 and 190203 tons respectively.
Bangladesh is one of the most teas producing county in the world but most of the tea about 98% of it is consumed by its internal consumers. The demand of tea in Bangladesh increasing rapidly but the production of tea is not upgrading compare to its demand which is degrading the export in international market. As the investment on tea in Bangladesh is not sufficient about 3.64% oer annum which is causing the slow growth of 2.94% per year in the production of tea while the international tea consumption is increasing at a rate of 14.23% per annum over the last 39 years (1973-2011). Massive investment is needed to surplus the tea production.
Most of the tea estates are located in the northeast region of Bangladesh. The first tea garden was established by the Duncan Brothers. Since then all the tea gardens have been established by clearing jungles. Those who did the jungle clearing were non-locals brought by Duncan from Assam, Bihar, Madras, Orissa and other places in India.
Chronological development of tea garden in BD:
1.      Chittagong (Experiment) :1840
2.      Sylhet (Malnicherra)        :1857
3.      Hobigonj (Lalchand)        :1860
4.      Moulvibazar (Meertinga)  :1860
5.      Panchagarh                        :2000
Back home they were told that they would arrive at a “lovely garden in the hill country where they would look after trees with leaves of pure gold which would fall if you (they) shook them” (Jones 1986:11).
Text Box: Fig:1 Tea Production and Tea Export(1961-2007)






Right now Bangladesh has 163 tea gardens (including seven in Panchagarh where tea cultivation started only recently) with 36 of them considered "sick." One unique feature of the tea industry is that the entire land mass (115,000 ha excluding Panchagarh) granted for production of tea is government land. It is also for the colonial legacy that our tea gardens are huge in size and the management administers the gardens with the air of British Shahib and Zamindars. The use of grant areas for tea with 45% actually used for production of tea is another key concern. Land granted for tea cultivation but used for other commercial purposes is deemed unjust and an incentive for social injustice perpetrated on the tea plantation workers.
Description: C:\Users\Ahsan\Desktop\Untitled Export\untitled (1 of 1)-4.jpgThe most striking fact about tea production in Bangladesh is that after the partition of India most of the tea produced here used to be consumed by West Pakistan. After Independence, Pakistan remains to be the largest importer of Bangladeshi tea. However, now it is we who consume most






Text Box: Figure 2 Production, Export and Domestic consumptionof tea in Bangladesh

of the tea that we produce. In 2007 Bangladesh produced 57.9 million kgs of tea of which only 10.6 million kgs were exported [82% of which was taken by Pakistan]. There is an apprehension that if the production of tea does not increase significantly and if domestic consumption continues to grow fast, Bangladesh will soon become an importer of tea. The bottom line is tea is no more an important export commodity and Bangladesh plays no significant role in the global tea trade although it ranked 10th among the tea-producing countries in 2007.
The work condition of the tea workers who spend most of their working time under the scorching sun or getting soaked in rains is a concern. A woman tealeaf picker spends almost all her working hours for 30 to 35 years standing before she retires. The working hours for the tealeaf pickers, mostly women, are usually from 8 AM to 5 PM [7-8 hours excluding break for lunch] from Monday to Saturday. Sunday is the weekly holiday. To earn some extra cash, the extra work brings additional grief.
The wages -- daily or monthly -- is the single most concern. The maximum daily cash pay for the daily rated worker in 2008 was Taka 32.50 (less than half a US$). This is a miserable pay having a severe effect on the daily lives of the tea workers. Although the workers get rations at a concession, a family can hardly have decent food items on their plate. They indeed have very poor quality and protein-deficient meals. Their physical appearance tells of their malnourishment. Bangladesh Cha Sramik Union (BCSU) that represents the workers and Bangladesh Tea Association (BTA) that represents the employers sign a memorandum of agreement every two years to fix the wages. The last memorandum of agreement went into effect on 1 September 2005. The two-year period of effectiveness of the agreement ended on 31 August 2007 [during the state of emergency in the country]. It was due to the state of emergency and squabbles between rival groups in Bangladesh Cha Sramik Union that no agreement between the two parties was signed in due time. However, in the absence of any agreement, the owners increased wages by Taka 2.5 as an interim arrangement. What is important to note here is that  BCSU in its charter of demands placed to the owners have demanded increase of wages by up to 100%, but the owners increased it by Taka 2 every two years, which the BCSU accepted in the end. The newly elected leadership (in 2008) of the BCSU, in its charter of demands of 2009, demanded that the cash pay of the daily rated workers be increased to Tk.90.00 from Tk.32.50. It is yet to be seen how the employers respond to the demands of BCSU.
Fringe benefits other than houses include some allowances, attendance incentive, rations, access to khet land for production of crop (those accessing such land have their rations slashed), medical care, provident fund, pension, etc. BTA calculates the cumulative total daily wage of a worker at Tk.73. The newly elected leaders in BCSU have a different calculation, which is lower than that of BTA.
For a long time, The Tea Plantations Labor Ordinance, 1962 and The Tea Plantation Labor Rules, 1977 defined the welfare measures of the tea plantation workers among other things. In 2006 these laws along with other labor related laws (25 in total) were annulled and a new labor law, Bangladesh Labor Act 2006, was introduced. The tea plantation workers were brought under this Act. The new Act has fixed the minimum wages of industrial workers at Tk.
1,500 (US$22). The tea plantation workers, who got lower wages in cash than this minimum wages, raised their voices for an increased cash pay. They were turned down. In a letter dated 20 July 2008 the Deputy Director of Labor, Tea-industry Labor Welfare Department in Srimangal, Maulvibazar announced, "the minimum wages announced in the gazette was not for the workers in the tea gardens." The letter also mentioned that "the government has already formed a separate wage board to determine the wages for the tea workers and the issue of minimum wages is under consideration." It is yet to be seen how the wage board makes progress in its work.
If compared with wages of the Indian tea workers, the wages of Bangladeshi tea plantation workers is much lower. In Darjeeling, Terai and Doars of West Bengal in India the daily wages of a tea plantation worker was Rs.53.90 in 2008. The wages, increased in three steps, will reportedly become Rs.67 in 2011. Strong labor movements have been instrumental in such wage increase. In West Bengal about 400,000 workers will get this increased wages. Compared to the Bangladeshi tea plantation workers, the Indian workers also get a better deal in accessing fringe benefits such as rations, medical care, housing, education, provident fund benefits, bonus, and gratuity. What puzzles one is that the auction of prices of tea in Bangladesh is high compared to the international auction prices while its production cost is comparatively lower than other tea producing countries (India, Sri Lanka and Kenya for example). Of course the productivity of tea per unit in Bangladesh is lower compared to those countries. Many believe that there is no justification for low wages of the tea plantation workers in Bangladesh. They deserve much higher wages.
Bangladesh ranks tenth among the ten largest tea-producing and exporting countries in the world. In the year 2000, the country’s tea production was 1.80% of the 2,939.91 million kg produced worldwide.
Owners of tea gardens include both foreign and local companies. While four Sterling companies own 27 estate, Bangladeshi companies and individuals own the rest of the tea gardens. The four foreign companies are James Finlay, Duncan Brothers, Deundi Tea Company and The New Sylhet Tea Estate.
All the 163 tea estates are managed by five different categories of management:
(i) Sterling companies
(ii) National Tea company
(iii) Bangladesh Tea Board
(iv) Bangladeshi Private Limited Companies
(v) Bangladeshi Proprietors
The estates are categorized into three according to their production capacities. They are:
1.      Category A: All the ‘A’ category estates that have the highest productivity belong to the British companies (fully or partially).
2.      Category B: The Bangladeshi government, Bangladeshi tea companies or Bangladeshi individuals own this category of estates.
3.      Category C: The family owned small and low productive estates belong to this category. Wages and working conditions are at their worst in the tea estates under this category.
Tea garden classification (based on producing tea)
Class
Producing Tea (per year)
A
More than 250000 kg
B
100000-250000 kg
C
50000-100000 kg
U
Less than 50000 kg
The promotion and degradation may occur in tea estates in span of one or two decades. Labor wages also vary between classified gardens.
The Social, Economic and export condition of Bangladesh tea and Tea workers in the background of all literature is given below
Social Condition:
·         Housing: The labors are occupying huge land for their housing in a unplanned way. The labor housing may be done in a convenient place in a limited area by providing all basic needs like water supply, electric supply, health care, sanitation, schooling etc. Most of the houses are built by soil.
·         Religion: Tea garden workers majority belong to Hindu community.
·         Language: As the origin of labourers are from different part of India like Orrissa, Tamil Nadu, Hazaribagh, Ranchi and various part of Bangladesh, so the language they used are mixed.
·         Education: Most of the workers are illiterate. But now a days illiterate rate is getting low. As some of the NGO like Brac, Karitaj have taken the responsibility to educate them.
·         Gender discrimination: One can see gender equation is generously practiced in tea estates. All tea workers enjoy liberty in selecting their trade union of their own choice. A good number of female trade unionist from tea garden labor union are found in the negotiating table bargaining with their counterpart BD tea association to increase wages and facilities of tea garden workers.
·         Anti-social activities: The non-workers group does not have any specific source of income. They mostly engage in crime and anti-social activities such as making and selling liquors, cutting shade trees, grazing cattle inside tea garden, making chaos and trouble inside the garden.
Economic Condition:
·         Tea estate is a labor oriented agro-based industry, where for each acre of land on an average one worker is engaged.
·         Out of 1000 labor force, at least 900 laborers are working in the field which is called tillah and the rest hardly 100 laborers are working in a factory.
·         The tea garden workers need to work mutually agreed 8 hours from 8 a.m to 3 p.m. They can do extra work as over time task.
·         The permanent workers must pluck up 23 kg tea leaves in a day to put his/her name in registered book. In that way one can earn 69 taka.
·         One can earn extra income after plucking 23 kg leaves of tea. That extra income is calculated as 5taka/kg
·         Wages of tea garden workers is tk 30 per head.
·         Apart from wages they receive 3.5 kg wheat per worker per week at concession rate.
·         They receive 21 days sick leave with pay per year and female workers get maternity leave for four months with pay.
·         Tea garden workers enjoy consecutive 3 days leave on each occasion of Durga puja and Dol purnima. They receive total 1200 taka as festival bonus.
·         The casual laborers do not get the same facilities as permanent workers get. Casual laborers may turn into permanent workers after 9 months by showing sincerity, punctual, hardworking and deviation to his/her work.
Human resources in the tea industry:


Men
Women
Adolescent
Total
Registered laborer
37565
38090
12054
87709
Casual laborer
9865
10826
975
21666
Population
117303
117303

350314

Land use pattern of tea garden in Bangladesh:
Total grant area      : 114044 ha
Total tea area          : 52202 ha (45%)
Area not under tea  : 61842 ha (55%)
a)      Rubber                                                                      : 5559 ha
b)      Planted forest                                                            : 1436 ha
c)      Natural forest                                                            : 16846 ha
d)     Bamboo                                                                     : 4129 ha
e)      Thatch/Sun grass                                                       : 3300 ha
f)       Paddy land                                                                 : 12718 ha
g)      Other cash crop                                                          : 1448 ha
h)      Fallow/wasteland                                                       : 5888 ha
i)        Stream/drain/pond etc                                                : 2853 ha
j)        Infrastructure (bungalow, labor line, factory, road)   : 8516 ha
k)      Graveyard/crematorium etc                                        : 1204 ha
Area suitable for tea   : 11462 ha

Management and performance of BD tea:
163 tea estates in bd are managed by different five categories of management viz:
1.      Sterling Company
2.      National Tea Company
3.      Bangladesh Tea Board
4.      Proprietary/Ownership by Bangladeshi Nationals
5.      Private Company Ltd.
SI
Type of management
No of estate
1
Sterling Co.
27
2
National Tea Co.
13
3
Bangladesh Tea Board
3
4
Private Co. Ltd
53
5
Proprietary
66
6


CHAPTER 3

BACKGROUND

The art of tea cultivation in Bangladesh began over a century and a half ago in the 1840s near the Chittagong Club. The first tea garden to be established was Malnicherra in Sylhet in 1854.Its commercial production began shortly thereafter in 1857.Today, the main tea-growing areas lie to the east of the Ganga-Jumma flood plain in the hill areas bordering India's Cachar tea-growing district. Most of Bangladesh tea grows at only 80-300 ft. above sea level northeast of Sylhet in the Seven Valleys. Tea is still grown in Chittagong’s well as in the Hill Tracts. During pre-partition days and up to the year 1947, all teas produced in the Sylhet and Surmahvalleys were called Indian teas, but were also known as sweet liquoring Surmah valley teas. Crop figures for the region during the mid-1940s were approximately 10-15 million kg per year. The teas were all of Orthodox manufacture, their quality being     fairly similar to that of neighboring Cachar district teas. There was also some Legg-Cut and green tea manufacture prior to 1947

3.1 Post-Partition 1947-1971

After partition, the subcontinent was broadly divided into two political regions - India and Pakistan (comprising West and East Pakistan).When Pakistan became independent in 1947, there were 133 tea gardens. By 1971, this number had risen to 147, with roughly 90,000 workers out of a total country population of 249,000 people. In 1950, under the Pakistan Tea Act, the Pakistan Tea Board was established in Dhaka and in1957; the Tea Research Institute was founded in Srimangal in 1957. Together, these organizations aimed at promoting the sale and consumption of tea in Pakistan and abroad, and at assisting in the research and development of the tea industry. The Tea Ordinance Act of 1959 replaced the earlier Pakistan Tea Act of 1950 to enhance the Board’s role in promoting tea cultivation and quality control. During the 1952-1953 seasons, buyers, sellers, and brokers in Chittagong got together, under the auspices of the Pakistan Tea Association, to form the Tea Traders Association of Chittagong. This association's duty was to promote the common interests of tea sellers and buyers in the Chittagong market. In 1960, the Tea Traders Association of Pakistan was registered. However, by the late 1960s, the need for better quality teas was strong and, with the gradual decline in the availability of Orthodox teas, CTC teas, particularly the better liquoring types, received strong support. It was noticeable during this period that the consumer gradually demanded brighter and better teas, and at the same time, became partial to the strong liquor produced by the CTC and the Legg-Cut methods of manufacture. Until 1971, teas continued to be imported to meet the growing internal demand while production was inadequate. With export restrictions and the captive market of West Pakistan, the tea industry operated in a seller's market with the 1969 crop being sold in the Chittagong auctions at Rs 3.50 per lb., against the CIF Chittagong cost of imported tea at Rs 1.50 per lb.

3.2 The 1971 War of Liberation

During the War of Liberation in 1971, the tea industry suffered many setbacks. In addition to the fact that many factories were damaged, two-thirds of the experienced planters of British and Pakistan origin left the industry, whilst many senior Bangladeshi planters joined the war. This meant that inexperienced men who had to combat disturbed conditions were running the estates. Some of the battles even took place in the tea garden areas, which were very near the borders. In fact, for the first time after the crackdown on April 4, 1971, the available senior offices of the Eastern Sector of the Liberation War met at Teliapara Tea estate manager’s bungalow, which became a seat of the Bangladesh Forces Headquarters (BDFHQ) for quite a time. In 1947, gardens in East Pakistan had 75,000 acres (30,364 hectares) under tea. Between 1947and 1960, the acreage devoted to tea increased by 8,000 acres. In the following decade, thanks to the compulsory 3% extension plan undertaken by the government. In 1947, Pakistan began with a production of 41.5 million lbs. (19.0 million kg) - approximately7% of India's production. In 1956, this figure reached 53 million lbs. (24.1 million kg), and in1971, a record crop of 69.18 million lbs. was harvested.

3.3 After 1971

After the war, assistance from England was readily available. At the request of the Government of Bangladesh, the British agency Overseas Development Administration (ODA) commissioned the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) in 1973 to assess the requirements for a process of rehabilitation and reorganization of the tea industry, including tea growing, manufacture, research, markets and market organization, with an assessment of the financial and economic returns to such a program. In addition, in 1976 the government-sponsored Dastard Committee, which looked into the financial constraints of a number of estates, also submitted its recommendations that proved to be very effective. In 1977, the Bangladesh Tea Board was reconstituted with objectives common to those of the erstwhile Pakistan Tea Board formed under the Pakistan Tea Act 1950, and as the regulatory body for the tea industry of Bangladesh, the role of the Tea Board expanded to include the monitoring of the crop and its disposal, the issuance of export licenses to export buyers, and the authority to give permission to producers for consignment and direct sales, etc. In 1974, the Tea Traders Association of Bangladesh replaced the Tea Traders Association of Pakistan. Eight years later, the metric weight system was adopted for the sale of tea, replacing the earlier imperial system. The area that produced tea increased from around 43,000 hectares in 1971 to the present area of about 48,000 hectares. After 1971, an improvement in yield per hectare was also evident. Based on the findings and recommendations by the March 1973 Rab Report that aimed to maximize production, subsequent studies was carried out. By the 1973-74 season, the production of Bangladesh tea recovered to pre-1971 levels of around 30-32 million kg. During 1975-76, in an attempt to increase yields, the Tea Board prepared two plans for intensive cultivation and replanting. Bangladesh Tea Research Institute BTRI, the scientific wing of the Tea Board, also brought out several high yielding clonal varieties of distinct character and quality. By 1979, British consultants had developed a strategy to rehabilitate the damaged tea industry of Bangladesh. Although by this time an onward program for intensive cultivation and replanting of the tea was going on, the actual thrust started in 1983-84 and was effective from 1985/85.During the years 1971-1994, production increased from 24.2 million kg (53.2 million lbs.) in1972 to 52.1 million kg (115 million lb) in 1994.Although the number of estates manufacturing Orthodox teas was declining (especially after the1980s), after independence, Orthodox teas continued to form the bulk of all teas produced. During this period, CTC teas became increasingly popular in Bangladesh with both internal and external buyers because they produced stronger and quicker brewing liquor with more cup page. Today in Bangladesh, CTC teas account for virtually 99% of all categories of tea produced, the balance being green teas.
The quality of Bangladesh teas competing in the world market during this period may be comparable to lower plain-grown teas from nearby Cachar, Tripura, and the Dooars, as well as with low, more plain-tasting teas from Sri Lanka and Indonesia
Table: Tea History of Bangladesh

3.4 TEA SCENARIO OF THE WORLD

The global demand for hot beverage (Tea and Coffee) will be forecasted as 69.77 billion USD in value and 10.57 million tons in volume in terms by the year 2015 (GTA, 2011). As tea cultivation is confined only to certain specific regions of the world due to specific requirements of climate and soil, the majority of tea cultivation is located in China, India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. in Asia region and Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda in African tropical region.  Apart from this regions some quantities of tea are also being produced in South America (Argentina, Brazil and others), the Near East (Iran and Turkey) and the CIS (Russia and Georgia).
The annual tea production in 2010 of the world is estimated approximately as 4066596 thousand kg where the cultivation area was 3691938 ha. Over these years the production of tea increased and area expand according to increase of demand. Among all tea producing countries China, India, Sri Lanka, Kenya and Indonesia, These five countries Account for 77% of the world production and 80% global exports.
In 1991 the tea producing area of the world was 2561.75 ha which increased about .42% during that period. Again in 2001 the area under tea was 2727.42 thousand ha which increased to 3691.89 thousand ha in 2010 with a compound growth rate of 3.42% during the said period.

According to 2011 statistics on world tea production the top most tea producing country is China which produce about 1640310 tons of tea, The other countries in the top ten list of producing tea are India, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Vietnam, Iran, Indonesia, Argentina and Belcher’s Sea Snake.
Table showing area of tea producing and production of tea:
Country
Area( million ha)
Production (Tons)
China
1.86
1640310
India
1
966733
Kenya
1.57
377912
Sri Lanka
1.88
327500
Turkey
1.87
221600
Vietnam
1.33
206600
Iran
-
162510
Indonesia
-
142400
Argentina
-
95012
Belcher’s Sea Snake
-
95012













CHAPTER 4

TEA PLANTATION

Growing a strong crop is one of the most important parts on tea production. Plants that are well taken Care of are more resistant to diseases.  Raising a crop is like raising children: if you give your crop good food and water, your crop will be less likely to get sick.
As a child grows, his or her needs change.  The same is true for tea: the needs of the tea crop change as the tea grows from seedlings to commercial stageto ageing stage.  For that reason, the sections of this chapter are arranged according to the crop stage, starting with seedlings. At the same time as managing the tea crop, the farmer should manage the other plants in theTea.

4.1Tea Cultivation Weather

4.1.1 Rainfall

The average annual rainfall in North East India ranges from 2000-4000 mm. However, more than the total amount, the distribution of rainfall matters a lot for sustained high yield of tea throughout the season. In the North East India, the rainfall distribution is not even. The excess rainfall in the monsoon months of June-September causes drainage problems. The average monthly rainfall during November to March is less than the evapotranspiration loss and the resulting soil moisture deficit affects tea bushes. If  this dry spell persists for a longer period, tea plants suffer heavily and crop goes down in spite of having sufficient rainfall in the monsoons.

4.1.2 Temperature and RH

Temperature affects tea yield by influencing rate of photosynthesis and controlling growth and dormancy. In general, the ambient temperature within 13°C and 28-32°C is conducive for growth of tea. Maximum ambient temperature above 32°C is unfavorable for optimum photosynthesis more so if it is accompanied by low humidity. In the tea belts of this region, the average winter minimum temperature (Dec-Feb) remains below 12°C and there is hardly any growth during this period. Flushing commences from March with the rise in temperature. Winter dormancy however is the result of interaction of short day length and low temperature. Low temperature causes slower growth and low yield in the hill district of Darjeeling in comparison to the plains of Dooars and Assam. A humid climate and high RH favors growth of tea.

4.1.2 Day length

Day length influences growth and dormancy in tea bushes. When days of less than 11hr 15 min duration last for at least six weeks tea bushes become dormant. Hence the length of growing season decreases with increasing distance from the equator. Seasonal dormancy appears from around 18° North and South latitudes. In the Northeast India (25°-27°N latitude), the tea bushes remain dormant during the winter season for about 3 months on account of the combined effects of short days and low temperature.

4.1.3 Soil

Tea grows well on high land well drained soils having a good depth, acidic pH in the range 4.5 to 5.5 and more than 2% organic matter. Shallow and compacted sub-soils limit root growth. Tea plants growing on such soils are liable to suffer from draught during dry period and water logging during the rainy months. There should not be any hard pan or concretions in the subsoil within 2m depths. The depth of ground water table should not be less than 90 cm for good growth of tea. Catchment planning is required for improved soil and water management practices in a tea estate for which land survey designed to identify all major and minor topographical features needs to be carried out.

4.2Managing the seedling stage

4.2.1 Mulching

The seed and the young seedlings must be carefully protected against weeds and drought.  One of the best ways to manage weeds and water is to mulch the field. Mulching simply means covering the surface of the soil with any available plant material: straw, cut grass, tree leaves, ferns, water hyacinth, rice hulls, leaves from green-manure crops, etc.  Whatever plant material is used should be harvested before it has produced seeds. If the mulch contains seeds, they may sprout after the mulch is placed in the tea field, producing weeds that will have to be controlled. Like any practice, mulching has disadvantages as well as advantages Shade trees or green manure plants between rows like mulching, shade trees help control weeds and increase soil moisture. Long in height trees and temporary cover crops between the rows of tea. This gives proper shading and keeps the soil moisture which is needed for planting trees.

4.2.2 Weed management

The combination of mulched cover crops will control many weeds.  But during the seedling stage, the tea crop must be carefully protected from weeds. A circle with a radius of approximately 20 cm around the stem of the bush should be kept completely clear of weeds. Weeding should be carried out often, to58 ensure that weeds do not produce seeds and do not grow large enough to compete with the tea plants. If tea seeds are planted directly into the field, the young seedlings must be carefully protected from weeds until they grow to a height of at least 50 cm.  After this, normal weeding should be adequate.

4.2.3 Water management

The combination of mulched shade trees will help manage soil moisture.  But in times of drought, it may be necessary to water (irrigate) the tea seedlings.  Seeds and seedlings are very sensitive to drought.  Watering is more suitable for households that are located near a water source, and for households that have electricity. Nonetheless, even poorer households far from water sources should consider watering during the seedling stage.

4.2.4 Fertilizer, manure, and compost

Composts a dark, crumbly, spongy material produced by decomposition of organic material.
Examples of organic materials that can be composted are:  teapruning, weeds, kitchen waste, green manure leaves and other plant parts, rice straw, animal dung, etc. The composting process normally takes a few months. Compost, farm yard manure (animal manure and urine, sometimes mixed with the straw from the stable), and chemical fertilizer all provide nutrients (like nitrogen) that the young tea plants need. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage of manure and composite that they provide organic matter for the soil
Organic matter improves soil structure, water infiltration, and the growth of helpful organisms in the soil. Chemical fertilizer does not provide any organic matter. The main advantage of chemical fertilizers that it has a high nutrient content (for example, almost half the weight of urea is nitrogen, whereas buffalo manure has only about 2% nitrogen).  So, you only need to apply kilograms of chemical fertilizer per hectare instead of tons per hectare of manure or compost.  For this reason, chemical fertilizer is easy to transport and apply.  But the disadvantage is, chemical fertilizer does not provide any organic matter to your soil.

4.3 Amount of fertilizer

4.3.1 Manure and compost

Apply as much manure and composites possible (10-20 tons or more per hectare is desirable).
In practice, the amount will depend on your supply and on how much labor you have available.  For most farmers, both animal manure and compost are available only in small amounts.  Further, both are heavy, and therefore requiring a lot of labor to carry uphill and apply. Chemical fertilizer during this edging stage, plants need less chemical fertilizer than in later growth stages.  To decide on the amount of chemical fertilizers, use the following three steps:
1. Choose a rate of nitrogen for the seedling stage, most books recommend between 30 -120 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare (for example, this is equivalent to between 65 – 261 kilograms of urea per hectare, because only 46% of urea is nitrogen). But, the exact amount to apply will depend on how fertile your soil is (use less nitrogen if your soil is very fertile).  To get some idea about fertility, ask your neighbors how much nitrogen fertilizer they used, and how much tea yield they got in return.  But remember: the soil on your farm might be more (or less) fertile than your neighbors’ soil.  Consider doing an experiment to test several different rates.
2. Once you have chosen a rate for nitrogen, use about half that rate for phosphorous and potassium. For example, if you plan to apply 60 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare (equivalent to 130 kg urea), then you should apply about 30 kg of phosphorous and 30 kg of potassium per hectare.  But as for nitrogen, the exact amounts of phosphorous and potassium will depend on your soil fertility and your finances. As for nitrogen, consider doing an experiment to test several different rates.
3. Once you have chosen the rates for the nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium), calculate how much fertilizer you will need to supply these rates. The amount of fertilizer to apply will always behigher than the rate of the nutrient, because fertilizers contain other things in addition to the nutrient (in other words, fertilizers are never 100% pure).  Different fertilizers have different concentrations. Always check the label of the fertilizer to see how concentrated it is. Here are some typical concentrations for some common fertilizers:
Nitrogen fertilizers Concentration
•           Urea 46% nitrogen
•           Ammonium nitrate 35% nitrogen
•           Ammonium sulphate 21% nitrogen
•           Phosphorous fertilizers Concentration
•           Apatite or appetite 15-35% phosphorous
•           Simple superphosphate 15-18% phosphorous
•           Triple superphosphate 44-50% phosphorous
Potassium fertilizers Concentration

•           Potassium sulphate 48-50% potassium
•           Potassium chloride 50-60% potassium



4.4 Managing the branch formation stage

4.4.1 Mulching

Mulching is important for the branch formation stage.  If you do not have enough mulch to protect the soil, consider planting green manureplants between rows, or permitting useful weeds

4.4.2 Green manure plants between rows

Until the leaves of neighboring tea bushes are touching, there has to plant temporary plants in the middle of the rows for cover up the little tea tress
During the branch formation stage, there has to plant some permanent shade treeswithin the rows of tea to provide shade and greenmanure once the tea reaches the commercial stage

4.4.3 Weed management

The combination of mulched cover crops will control many weeds.  During the branch formation stage, tea plants are less susceptible to weeds than during the seedling stage.
Nonetheless, in Viet Nam many hectares of tea in branch formation stage have been ruined in recent years by being overgrown by weeds.  As always, the goal of the farmer should be to maintain an ecological balance that recognizes both the good and bad effects of weeds:

4.4.4 Pruning

During branch formation stage, the purpose of pruning is to shape the way that the main frame of large branches are growing, so that the bush becomes:
Low (within reach of pickers); the plucking table should be at a height of about 70 cm broad, with many strong, healthy branches large canopy capable of producing many shoots.
Pruning is not recommended during Year 1.  Nonetheless, if a young plant is very thin and spindly during Year 1, it is sometimes useful to fold over the tip of the young plant without breaking it off. This concentrates the energy of the plant in the lower part of the plant, helping it to grow thicker and stronger and preventing it from falling over.
The first pruning is done when the diameter of the main stem is more than 0.7 cm, and theheight of the plant is more than 70 cm.

For tea grown from seeds, a total of   three annualpruning are needed to shape the frame of the bush (see drawing).  The first pruning, or cutting back of the central stem, is done at a height of 12-15 cm from the ground, usually  at the end of Year 2 or beginning of Year 3 (mid-December to  January).  In this first pruning, cut only the central stem.  Do not cut the branches even if the tips of the branches are growing higher than 15 cm above the ground.
The second pruning, 12 months later, is done at a height of 30-35 cm. The third pruning, 12 months after the second, is done at 40-45 cm. Pruning is always done in December-January.
In tea grown from cuttings, the side stems grow more than on tea grown from seeds.  Also, tea grown from cuttings tends to have more stems and bigger stems.  For both of these reasons, only 2 formative pruning are needed.
Again, the first pruning is done when the diameter of the main stem is at least 0.7 cm and the height of the plant is at least 70 cm.  This first pruning is usually done at the end of Year 1 or the beginning of Year 2 (mid-December to January). In the first pruning, cut the main stem 25 cm above the ground and the other stems at a height of 40 cm above the ground.  The second pruning is done one year later, at a height of 45 cm above the ground.

4.4.5 Pruning time

At least during branch formation stage, the best time for pruning is from mid-December to January. Once the tea reaches commercial stage, however, some farmers prune after Tet.
Before doing the first pruning (at the end of Year 2), you should check to make sure that the young bushes have stored enough energy (starch) in their roots.  They will need a good store of energy to recover from pruning.  To check, apply iodine solution to the cut end of roots and watch for a color change.  You can buy iodine solution in pharmacies (it is used for disinfecting cuts).  When iodine touches starch, the starch turns blue (try it with rice grains as a test; rice grains contain starch). To check whether young plants are ready for pruning:
1.  Dig a whole 10 cm from the stem of the young tea plant and 15 cm deep.
2.  Cut off and save any large roots that are exposed by the whole (use only roots that are at least half a centimeter in diameter).
3.  Make smooth cuts across the ends of the roots and hold the roots vertically.
4.  Apply a drop or two of iodine solution to the end of each root. Hold the roots vertically for
5 minutes, then shake off the iodine.
5. Note how much blue color is produced.  A deep blue color spread across the entire cut surface of the root indicates a high concentration of starch, and therefore the plants will have enough energy to recover from pruning.  If the root is very pale or does not change color, they have not yet accumulated much starch, and therefore you might want to delay the first pruning.

4.4.6 Pruning Process

All pruning are done using a pruning knife (long blade and short handle) or secateurs (Clippers).  Secateurs can have short blades to cut small branches (used with one hand) or longblades for big branches (used with two hands).  If you use secateurs, be sure they are sharp; if dull, they will crush the stem and slow the growth of the tea plant.  It is best to “polish” the cuts with a sharp knife so that water cannot stick to the cut surface (if the cut stays wet, it is more likely to get diseases).
Always cut branches from the inside to the outside, forming a wound at an angle of 45°to allow any water to drain (high side of each wound facing outwards on the bush).  When the high sides of the cut branches are on the outside, then the new shoots also will grow towards the outside of the plants, creating a bigger plucking surface.
The tops of the bushes should be cut parallel with the slope of the hill. If you don’t do that, then the part of the tea bush at the higher end of the slope will develop moreslowly than the part at the lower end (less new leaves and shoots will develop on the higher end).  There is only one small exception to the rule of pruningparallel to the slope. That is, it is sometimes also recommended to prune the center of each bush a little bit more than the outside, creating a “hollow” shape of the bush. The reason is, the center of the tea plant always grows faster than the outside.
To reduce sun scorch damage, cover the frame of the bush with the branches and leaves removed during pruning. If the tea has fungus diseases, or if the bush frame is heavily overgrown with lichens or algae, it is helpful to wash the frame with lime or caustic soda mixed with water.

4.4.7 Purposes of pruning

During the commercial stage, the purposes of pruning are:
1.  To encourage tea trees to grow plenty of new leaves, instead of shifting into reproductive growth stage (producing flowers and fruits).
2.  To increase the number and size of growing buds.
3.  To keep the frame of the tea bush within easy reaches of the pickers.
4.  To replace old and diseased branches with strong, healthy ones.
The tools and procedures for pruning are the same as were discussed in branch formation
stage (above).

4.4.8 How often should you prune?

Note that, once the tea has reached commercial stage, the schedule for pruning is the same for bushes grown from seeds or from cuttings.
Most farmers in Viet Nam prune every year.  But, farmers in other countries follow different systems. The following is the recommendation of the Tea Research Institute

4.4.9 Light pruning

Year 4:  The final formation pruning (to shape the main frame of large branches).
Prune the bush 40-45 cm above the ground.
Years 5 and 6: At the end of each year (mid-December-February), cut only the green wood.  Cut at a height 5 cm above the height of the previous pruning.  For example, if at the end of Year 4 you pruned to 40 cm, then in Year 5 you should prune to 45 cm and in Year 6 to 50 cm.  Each year, you should also prune any branches at the base of the main stem.
Years 7-11: At the end of each year, cut the green wood 3 cm higher than the previous year (for example, 53 cm, then 56 cm, etc.). Each year, you should also prune any branches at the base of the main stem. When the frame of the tea bush reaches a height of  70 cm (approximately Year 12), prune only 1-2 cm higher each year.
After years of this light annual pruning, you will start to notice the following problems:
1.         Tea bushes have grown so tall that they are out of reach of the pickers (studies have shown that, for pickers who are 1,3 meters tall, the most efficient tipping height is 80 cm above the ground).
2.         Crown buds are abundant, but are very small.
3.         Tea yields are declining.
When this occurs, tea should be given a medium pruning.

4.4.10 Medium pruning

Prune the tea tree 55-60 cm above the ground.  Some major branches should be cut to stimulate dormant buds to produce new branches for a healthier and younger canopy.
Especially, branches that are dead, diseased, or crossing should be removed.  The following years, return to light pruning.

4.4.11 Heavy pruning

After many years of light and medium pruning, tea often becomes somewhat degraded and weak.  Tea branches have many bends and kinks (are not straight), and there are a number of rotten buds.  When this occurs, tea should be pruned heavily 40-45 cm above the ground.
After heavy pruning, tea must be carefully tended until it recovers.  Even with good tending, yields often drop for 1-2 years after heavy pruning.  Once bushes recover, return to light pruning.

4.4.12 Plucking

Do not pluck during year 1.  During year 2, tea still needs leaves to produce energy to grow branches.  Therefore, only do light plucking and only pluck during the flushing period, when the tea is growing rapidly (usually June-September). Avoid early and heavy plucking.
In the spring of year 3, after the first pruning, plucking must not start until the tea plant has grown enough shoots and leaves to restock its reserves of energy.  Therefore, wait until new shoots have grown 20-30 cm above the level of pruning (usually by early April). This is called the “tipping level” (see drawing).  Then, use your fingers to break off the new shoots at the tipping level. This is called “tipping”, and it has 2 purposes:
1.  To create a flat canopy (called the “plucking table”) parallel to the slope, and
2.  To cause the buds on the sides of the shoots to open, so the bush will grow many more shoots (branches and sub-branches will grow from the sides of the tipped shoots).

After tipping, any shoots that grow above the “plucking table” can be lightly plucked.  You probably will not harvest many buds during year 3, but your labor costs for tipping will be rewarded by higher yield in future years.
In year 4, after the second pruning, again follow the directions for tipping.  The tea should then enter the commercial stage if it has received good care.

4.4.13 Purpose of plucking

The main purpose of plucking is to harvest the tea.  But in addition, plucking can affect the long-term health of the tea plant, and can help with insect and disease management.
Therefore, when farmers do experiments to decide which plucking method is best, they should measure plant health and pest damage, not just tea yield and quality.

4.4.14 When to pluck: time of year

Plucking must not start until the tea plant has grown enough shoots and leaves to restock its reserves of energy.  After every pruning (December-February), a layer of leaves is allowed to grow 20-30 cm above the level of pruning. Therefore, wait until new shoots have grown 20-30 cm above the level of pruning (usually by early April).  This is called the “tipping level”. Then, use your fingers to break off the new shoots at the tipping level. This is called “tipping”, and it has two purposes:
1.  To create a flat canopy (called the “plucking table”) parallel to the slope, and
2.  To cause the buds on the sides of the shoots to open, so the bush will grow many more shoots (branches and sub-branches will grow from the sides of the tipped shoots).
After tipping, any shoots that grow above the “plucking table” can be lightly plucked. Shoots should be plucked during the “flushing period” (when the tea plant is growing actively). In general, the flushing period is during spring and summer, with highest yields from June September. But the exact timing of the flushing period is different for different tea varieties. Before and after the flushing period, the tea plant is dormant (sleeping). Plucking during the months when the tea is dormant is an extra strain on the tea plant. Nonetheless, some farmers believe that if the crop is well cared for, tea can tolerate plucking even during the dormant period.

4.4.15 When to pluck: time of day and type of weather

Plucking should be done in the morning, for two reasons.  First, and most important, plucking in the morning leaves enough time so that the plucked tea can be processed the same day (in the afternoon).  If plucked tea is kept overnight before processing, the quality will be much lower(see Chapter Thirteen).  A second (less important) reason is that the quality (flavor) of tea is highest from shoots harvested in the morning, because the chemical quality of the shoots is higher in the morning (less soluble sugars and more catechinsin the morning).
Shoots grow fastest and produce energy for the plant most efficiently from about 8:00 a.m. to about 11:00 a.m. Therefore, tea production would be a bit higher if plucking started late in the morning, instead of starting in the early hours.  But, this may not be possible due to labor demands.
Do not pluck on rainy days; the wet tea takes too long to dry during processing, which reduces quality.

4.4.16 what to pluck:

Pluck only shoots that are growing above the flat canopy (“plucking table”).  Pluck two kindsof shoots:
1.  Actively growing shoots that have at least 2 true foliage leaves above the rounded “fish leaf”. Never pluck immature shoots (buds, or buds + 1 leaf) (see drawing).
2.  In addition to actively growing shoots, “blind” buds should be plucked if they are growing above the tipping level.  These are dormant buds at the top of shoots that are not producing new leaves (see drawing).  Plucking these buds encourages the buds on the sides of the shoot to open and produce new shoots.

4.4.17 How many times to pluck:

There are two popular systems for plucking.  One system is to pluck only once every 45 days, harvesting most of the buds.  The second system is to pluck as soon as about 30% of the buds are ready for harvest (in other words, pluck about every 10-15 days).  Each system has its advantages and disadvantages, as shown in the table below.  So, farmers should do experiments to decide which system is best for them.










Chapter 5

SOCIO-ECONOMIC

CHARACTER OF TEA WORKERS

SYLHET, BANGLADESH


The knowledge of socio-economic character of tea worker is important for increasing the efficiency of tea workers. This chapter will focus on the important socio economic conditions and some demographic characters of tea workers in tea plantation. There are some factors which influence income, production, employment and some factors that influence health, fertility, mortality, and sanitation, housing different attitude of gender, food and medicine etc. The social and cultural belief also influences the efficiency of tea workers, which influence the total production. This chapter will help to understand all these conditions of Sylhet tea gardens and will help to frame the way to increase productivity of Bangladesh tea Industry.

5.1 Age, Male Female Ratio

Most of the people working in the tea garden are adult, age between 35 to 50+. Tough there are some teen age children specially girls working in the garden, the amount is negligible. At the starting of working period people start working in the garden and after some day they go to the city for more money and when they find the life outside the garden is more challenging they get back to the garden. Working in the tea garden is almost like a family trend for the tea workers. They know how to work in the garden from their family. SO they start with what is in their blood.
Age of respondents
Frequency (f)
Percentage (%)
<20
6
2.15
20-24
19
6.81
25-29
30
10.75
30-34
26
9.32
35-39
40
14.34
40-44
39
13.98
45-49
44
15.77
>50
75
26.88

Though everybody guesses the percentage of Female workers in the garden is higher than Male workers the research shows the amount of male workers is higher than female workers. The ratio between male and female workers in the garden is 54.84% and 45.16%. Though the amount of Male workers is high they are not directly involved with the garden. Male workers mainly work as Day laborer, Factory workers for tea processing, Guards, Electrician, Pruner, Peon, Water supplier, Garden Cleaner. On the other hand female workers are directly involved with the tea garden by collecting tea leaf, tea cultivation and processing.

Gender
Frequency (f)
Percentage (%)
Male
153
54.84
Female
126
45.16
Text Box: Table 3 Male Female Ratio of Sylhet Tea Garden Workers

5.2 Size and Family Composition

The study shows that the family size of the tea workers is large as they have at least 2-3 children and they live with their old father, mothers and brothers. Most of the family is male dominated and the percentage of women is comparably high.

5.3 Education Level of Tea Workers

The Study shows 60% of the tea workers are totally illiterate who never gone school or other education institutes, even they don’t know how to write their name. The other 40% includes workers having knowledge about Bengali alphabets who can write their name, read a little and some who completed their Primary school.
A study on Sylhet tea garden shoes the literacy was found to be higher at Madhupur tea states and was lower at Dauracherra tea estate. The study revealed that the level of the tea workers was fairly high as compared to Maulvibazar district. The study showed that the literacy rate among the tea workers in tea plantation economy do not vary far from national trend,
Though the tea workers are not literate now some of them are trying to make there children literate by sending them primary and secondary schools. Now Tea estate owners are giving the worker children’s the opportunity to study free they till primary school. Some meritorious children are also going to the secondary schools by the help of some GOs and NGOs. BRAC and Karitaj are the two NGOs that took responsibility to educate the tea garden workers children by opening school and providing all instruments needed for studying.

5.4 Efficiency of the Tea Garden workers

Tea garden workers in Sylhet are very efficient as they are working from their childhood. They do not need any trainer to teach them how to collect tea leaf or how to manage the garden work. As they are working for long years they can collect leaf very fast and this also give then the opportunity to earn some extra money. People of Sylhet tea garden can collect more than 23 kg leaf per day.
Though the Sylhet tea workers are seems to be efficient, they are not comparable to the tea workers of other countries. The efficiency of china, Indian and other country are more than Bangladesh. This is not because lake of experience or competence but the soil quality, modern techniques and other facilities.

5.5 Working Position

There is no difference between positions of tea workers. Most of the people working in the tea garden are leaf collector. Others are working as labor, guards, electricians, factory workers, peon, pruner, water suppliers, garden cleaner etc. There are almost 47% leaf collector, 22% workers, 19% are labor, 2% factory workers are directly involved with tea production and other 10% are indirectly involved with the garden by working for garden owners.
Table 3: Position of the tea garden owners.
Position
Frequency (f)
Percentage (%)
Labor
53
19.00
Worker
62
22.22
Leaf Collector
131
46.95
Guard
14
5.02
Electrician
1
0.36
Company's Primary School Teacher
1
0.36
Pruner
5
1.79
Factory worker
6
2.15
Peon
3
1.08
Water Supplier
1
0.36
Garden Cleaner
1
0.36
Nurse
1
0.36

Figure 4: Workers in Different Sectors of Sylhet Tea Garden









5.6 District of Origin

Tea people working in different tea estates of Sylhet are mainly local origin. About 75% of the workers are Sylhet and Moulovibazaar origin. The other 25% came from other district of the
District of origin
Frequency (f)
Percentage (%)
Assam
3
1.08
Barisal
5
1.79
Brahmanbaria
1
0.36
Chadpur
1
0.36
Chatlapur
1
0.36
Chittagong
1
0.36
Comilla
10
3.58
Habiganj
5
1.79
India
15
5.38
Kolkata
1
0.36
Moulovibazaar
67
24.01
Mymensingh
12
4.30
Orissa
1
0.36
Pakistan
2
0.72
Sylhet
152
54.48
Tripura
2
0.72

country and some are from India, Assam, Tripuram Kolkata, Orisissa and living in the tea garden area. Before the division of India Pakistan and Independence of Bangladesh Immigrant people entered into the country for search of job and started living here.
Table 5 District of Origin

5.7 Size and Type of housing of the Tea Workers

The analysis of sizes of the land holding and type of housing is very important. Though the house area and all materials used in making house are provided by the owner of the garden, it gives the economic condition of the workers. A study on socio economic condition of tea workers shows that “the average size of the total owned land per family was .30 acre. It was observed that the average cultivated land per household was .21 acre. Total owned land was found higher at Dauracherra tea estate and lower at Julekhanagar tea estate. The study examined that net cultivated land was found higher ar sterling as well as nationalized companies compared with property estates.”
Almost 100% of the house of the workers are not their own. They generally live in the house given by individual tea estates. Most of the houses are made of mud, Paddy and bamboo straws. Some others have tin shades and a little are made of brick which are semi pucca. about 60% houses are katcha and 38% are semi pucca and only 2.5% are pucca.
House type/Structure
Frequency (f)
Percentage (%)
Pucca
7
2.51
Semi-pucca
107
38.35
Katcha
165
59.14
Others
0
0.00


Table 6 Housing type of Sylhet tea garden Workers

5.8 Various social benefits recovered by the employees

Tea workers of Sylhet and all over Bangladesh get some benefits with their monthly salary provided by the owners. After small wage these benefits are the only source that gives them the way to lead there life. Workers get some festival bonus, Health insurance, expanses, Rations, Pensions, Food, free primary education facility for the children of the workers.
The registered workers get 1200-1600 TAKA of festival bonus in two installments a year. Muslim workers get bonus in Edul Fitter, Edul ajha and Hindu workers get bonus in Durga puja and Dol purnima.
Tea workers get wheat, rice as ration. They get 3 kg of wheat or rice for him and his children under 12 years of old. The ration is given in week wise mainly in Tuesday or Thursday.
The owners also provide health facility to the workers. There are at least one medical, clinics or hospitals made by the owners. Hospitals give almost all kinds of medicines for primary diseases. It also provides all medical facilities for injuries happened in the garden. If the disease is savvier and doctors of the garden are not able to immune them they refer the patient to the government clinic and give all the money needed in the hospital.
The owners of the garden also give primary education facility to the children of the garden. There are at least one primary school in each garden and owners of the garden motivate the workers for sending their children to the school.
The registered women workers get pregnancy leave from the sixth months of the pregnancy.  They also get monthly salary, medical facility, ration during these days. All workers of the garden also gets 21 day leave in a year.
Again the registered retired workers of the garden get pension facility monthly. They get pension, Ration and Medical facility as like the present workers.

Additional benefits
Frequency (f)
Percentage (%)
Festival bonus
278
36.68
Health insurance/Expenses
222
29.29
Food/Accomodation
237
31.27
Others
16
2.11
i_Pensions
1
0.13
ii_Ration
3
0.40
iii_Free education
1
0.13
Total
758
100.00

5.9 Sanitary facilities and Drinking Water

The principal source of drinking water of the house stokes are Tube well, Surface well and a less amount of pipe water. Workers use tube well water for their daily drinking, cooking and use pond, well water for other works. The Tube well is provided by the garden owner and every family has at least one tube well.
There are very few number of families who have sanitary facilities. There may be only 40% families have sanitary latrine. People does not care about latrine because they have lake of knowledge about sanitary and they are near jungle which make the need of latrine less for them. Now some NGOs giving them knowledge about latrine and also providing them the facility of making the latrine in their home which is increasing the numbers of latrine.

5.10 Drugs and Drinking Problem

Almost all tea workers are addicted to drinking and drugs problems. They drink cigarettes weeds and Bangla mod every day. As these things are available and price is low compare to the income of the workers and there is lake of reses or entertainment workers pass their free time by taking these drinks and drugs. Workers waste most of their money in buying these drugs and drinks which congeal to improve their present condition by saving money and developing their future. Sometime owners influence the workers to take these things as it will increase their domination on the workers.

5.11 GOs and NGOs for tea workers

Now days there are many GOs and NGOs who are working for the tea workers development. They are providing free teaching, Sanitation, banking, medical facilities, advises on family plannings.. BRAC, Karitaj, pata kuri etc are some NGOs. NGOs making their office, schools, medical centers and providing facilities. They are giving education to the children as well as the adult peoples. Some time they are organizing meeting and giving lectures for immune there social problems.

5.12. Relation between Tea Workers and Management

The owners need hard administration for maintaining discipline of the tea garden but they also need to be soft on the problems of the workers. Almost all tea garden owners follow this rules and if they are not able to do this they gets into Sevier problem.
The relation of the tea worker and management are good told by almost all workers of the garden. Without some small problems there are good owner and worker relation. If there are any problem, workers can tell this to the manager and he try to solve it in a small time.

5.13 Labor Union for Tea Workers

There are labor union in every garden which is originated for saying labors problems, needs and demands to the managements. But most of the labor unions are not working as they should or closed because of political problems. Again those who are active are corrupted and indirectly managed by the owners of the garden.


Chapter 6

Economic Condition of Tea Workers

Sylhet Bangladesh


6.1 Wage

The wage of tea workers is not satisfactory. This is less than one dollar per day which is not change till 2010. Now a day’s tea workers get 69 taka for collecting 22 kg of tea leaf. This is also same for the workers working in the factory. Workers also get some extra money if they are able to collect more leaf after 22 kg. They get 3-5 taka per kg after collecting 22 kg. Workers have to work at least 8 hours a day for collecting that amount of leaf. Workers can also earn more money by working in two shifts. Morning shift starts fron 5 a.m in the morning till 3 p.m and night shift starts from 8 p.m till 5 a.m in the morning. Leaf collectors, factory workers, guards and other workers working for tea garden are mostly work in morning shift. Mainly factory workers and guards work in the night shift.
Table 7 Wage Development of Sylhet Tea Workers

6.2 Additional benefits with salary

Tea workers get many additional benefits after their salary. They can earn more money by working both morning and day shifts. Though it is hard to work in both shifts it gives them double money. They can also income more money if they are able to pluck more than 23 kg tea leaves in a day. They get 5 taka more for each kg after 23rd kg.
Registered tea workers get yearly bonus twice in a year in festivals. Muslim workers get bonus in Edul fitar and Edul ajha and Hindu or other religious workers get bonus in Durga puja and Dol purnima. Workers get bonus on the basis of their efficiency. More efficient workers get more bonuses. The festival bonus is 1200-1600 taka per head in a year.

6.3 Respondents satisfaction level on their income

The study has an important part which asked the workers about their satisfaction in the income. Most of the workers said that the wage, bonus and extra income that they get are not satisfactory. But some said with all the benefits that they get after the wage they are satisfied and a few said that the income is more than enough. About 81% of the respondents said that the salary is not satisfactory, 17.5% said they are satisfied with what they get and only 1% said they get more than enough from the owners of the garden. The statistical report is given below_
Level of satisfaction
Frequency (f)
Percentage (%)
Not satisfactory at all
227
81.36
Satisfactory
49
17.56
More than enough
3
1.08

Table 8 Wage satisfaction of Sylhet






7.1 Employees' perceptions on social issues related to tea gardening


The study reckoned the social issues related to the tea garden. It asked the workers about the problems they faced and see in the garden area. It discovered the main problem in the garden and it is crime or terrorism. In evening or at night the workers snatched by some thief’s and robbers. The analysis also shows that the rate of robbing of house is also a matter of concern. The other problems told by the workers are education problem, Fresh water and sanitary problem, oppression, drug problem, alcoholism, gender discrimination, child labor, harassment, destruction of local agriculture.

Social issues
Frequency (f)
Percentage (%)
Crime/Terrorism
21
40.38
Education problem
5
9.62
Fresh water and Sanitary problem
2
3.85
Oppression
4
7.69
Drug addiction
5
9.62
Alcoholism
3
5.77
Gender discrimination
1
1.92
Violence against women
1
1.92
Child labor
1
1.92
Lack of independence
2
3.85
Local conflicts
1
1.92
Lack of social status
2
3.85
Harassment
3
5.77
Destruction of Local agriculture
1
1.92

7.2 Environmental issues related to tea plantation

The environmental issues related to tea plantation are also finding out by the study. It shows that tea plantation is a cause of massive soil erosion and land slide. As tea plantation is practicing in this area for a long time it is causing a serious damage of soil quality of the garden area and hampering local agriculture. Use of fertilizers, pesticides are causing soil, water pollution and degrading biodiversity. The chart shows the environmental issues related to the plantation.





Environmental issues
Frequency (f)
Percentage (%)
Causes soil erosion
82
53.95
Loss of vegetation/trees
21
13.82
Hampers local agriculture
46
30.26
Others
0
0.00
i_Water pollution
1
0.66
ii_Landslide
2
1.32

Table 9 Environmental issues related to Sylhet tea garden

7.3 Problems faced by the employees in the tea gardens


The main problem faced by the found by the study is the wage problem. Without this the other problems in the garden is the hard working stuffs that is nearly 25%, risks due to insects and snakes 11.39%, insecurity of job is about 6%, exploitation about3.93% and others like sanitation problem, child bearing problem, skin problem, skin problem due to fertilizer use, food scarcity, Inflation, water storage problem, lack of independence, help from owner and government is less than 1%. The following table shows the problems faced by the employees in the tea garden.

Social issues
Frequency (f)
Percentage (%)
Crime/Terrorism
21
40.38
Education problem
5
9.62
Fresh water and Sanitary problem
2
3.85
Opression
4
7.69
Drug addiction
5
9.62
Alcoholism
3
5.77
Gender discrimination
1
1.92
Violence against women
1
1.92
Child labor
1
1.92
Lack of independence
2
3.85
Local conflicts
1
1.92
Lack of social status
2
3.85
Harassment
3
5.77
Destruction of Local agriculture
1
1.92


7.4 Accidents during working in the garden


The study shows cutting hand is one of the common accident during work in the garden. Snake bite, Insect bite and accidents done by the manufacturing machine is other accidents happens in the garden. The following table shows the percentage of the problems in the garden.
Type of accidents
Frequency (f)
Percentage (%)
Hand cut
40
61.54
Snake bite
21
32.31
Insect bite
3
4.62
By Manufacturing Machine
1
1.54











 

CHAPTER 8

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY


The study examines the socio- economic condition of the tea workers and found the present condition of the Sylhet tea workers. It also compared the present scenario to the past situation of the tea gardens. The salient features of this study is summarized below
1.      The male female ratio of the tea workers is 54.84% and 45.16% which indicates the female workers are less than male workers. It also indicates the women workers are not interested in working in the garden like previous.
2.      Most of the people in the garden interested in working are old in age about 26.88. Most youth people are not interested in working in tea garden.
3.      The average size of the family of the tea garden are small which is good.
4.      The wage of 69 tk for plucking 23 kg is very small and it is the main cause of lake of interest in working in tea garden.
5.      The overtime money is also very low and festival bonus about 1200 take is not satisfactory.
6.      The house of the workers does not have electricity, sanitary latrine, fresh drinking water and they are made of tin, bamboo straws and rice straws which causing problem for the workers as rainfall in the Sylhet tea garden is highest compare to other of the country.
7.      Most of the house in the garden are katcha about 59.14%, 38.35% houses are semi pucca and only 2.51% hoises are pakka.
8.      The social condition of the tea workers is another matter of concern. Gender discrimination, Education level below 20%, Drug addiction 90%, snatching, lake of drinking water and sanitary facility are the main problems in the tea garden.
9.      The education level of the tea garden is below 90%.
10.  Some NGOs like BRAC, Karitas are working for developing the awareness of the tea workers.
11.  Tea workers are very efficient and not satisfied with what they get from the garden owners.
12.  There is no division in workers position and the number of leaf packer is highest about 46%.
13.  The migration rate in the garden is low. People working in the garden are mainly originated hare.
14.  Registered workers get many benefits with their wage. About 36.68% gets Festival bonus, 29.29% and almost everybody gets ration, free education for children, pension and accommodation provided by the owner.
15.  Crime rate in the garden area is high about 40% people are snached.
16.  Hand cutting during work, snake bite and insect bite are the main accidents. About 61.54% people get cut their hens during work, 32.31% and 1.54% were bitten by snake and insects.
Though having all these problems Tea industry in Bangladesh has a bright part as it is meeting needs of internal people of the country. No matter how it is causing some job facilities and giving some foreign money to the country which is a good sign for the Sylhet tea gardens.

 

CHAPTER 9

CONCLUTION AND RECOMONDATION



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