New tea variety to double yield

The variety innovated through cloneing method has been named BT-16.

Director-in-charge of the BTRI, Md Shahiduzzaman, told The Daily Star at his Srimongal office that the BT-16 variety is 'strong and thick' in liquor with good taste and flavour.

Consumers will find a new taste and strong flavour in it, he said.

The existing varieties produce 1270 kg per hectre. BT-16 variety will yield about 3000 kg per hectre, he said.

As all the tea gardens in our country seek an increase in production within the given infrastructure and technical facilities, so they will be interested to cultivate the BT-16 variety, Md Shahiduzzaman said.

The BTRI authorities is now working to introduce BT-16 variety at field. BTRI scientists are now giving necessary training to interested tea garden staff.

In the meantime, Finly, which owns several tea gardens in Srimongal, has accepted BT-16 variety for plantation, BTRI sources said.

However, BT-16 is now in plantation stage and it will take time to make it available to consumers.

The BTRI source said, about four crore kilograms of tea were produced in our country annually during the eighties, about three-fourth of which was exported. But domestic consumption of tea has increased sharply. Now the country is producing about six crore kilograms annually but only one crore 20 lakh kilograms can be exported now after meeting the domestic demand.

If this situation continue, Bangladesh will be compelled to import tea to meet the growing home demand if high yielding varieties are not evolved, they said.

Though tea industry in Bangladesh is more than 100 years old, productivity has not increased to match the increase in population.

Experts hope that with introduction of BT-16, country's tea gardens will be able to increase their productivity and export.