21st July 2003
STAFF REPORTER
The government has decided to lease out about 49,000 acres in three districts under the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) for facilitating tea gardening.
It has also decided to provide necessary support, including soft loans, to the interested tea cultivators.
The decisions were taken at a meeting of the committee on the leasing out of lands for tea gardens yesterday with Commerce Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury in the chair. The committee was formed to amend the policy for leasing out lands for tea cultivation.
Commerce Secretary and high officials of Land and Commerce ministries were also present at the meeting.
The minister was learnt to have directed the concerned officials to complete the process of leasing out the land within six months.
However, no decision has been taken regarding amendments to the policy of leasing out lands for tea gardening as the Land Ministry did not finalise necessary papers, meeting sources told The Independent.
About 80 tea gardens in the country produce around 55-56 million kgs tea of which 15 to 18 million kgs are exported per year, according to available statistics.
The tea exports to over 25 countries fetches foreign currency worth about Tk 325 crore annually for Bangladesh.
The country has nearly 80 tea gardens.