The farmers of the northern region have set up a record in tea production. Photo: BSS

PANCHAGARH, Mar 07, 2026 (BSS) - The farmers of the northern region have set up a record in tea production in the area during last season as it is expanding every year, official sources said here today. 

In the recently concluded 2025 season, a total of 2,02, 42,052 kilograms (KGs) of processed tea was produced from 11,599.89 acres of flat land across 30 tea gardens and more than 8,000 smallholder tea farms in five northern districts. These districts are- Panchagarh, Thakurgaon, Dinajpur, Lalmonirhat and Nilphamari. This marks an increase of 5.801 million kilograms of compared with the previous season.

The information was confirmed today by agriculturist Amir Hossain, in-charge of the regional office of Bangladesh Tea Board located here.

According to the Tea Board, the farmers have harvested 9,77, 46, 611 KGs of fresh green tea leaves during the season. These leaves were processed in 31 operating factories in Panchagarh and Thakurgaon, producing 2,02, 42,052 KGs of finished tea.

Despite various challenges, the area under tea cultivation in the five northern districts continues to expand, creating employment for nearly 30,000 people in the region. Stakeholders are optimistic that the region could produce around 25 million kilograms of processed tea in the current season.

After being closed for nearly two months during the winter due to reduced supply of green leaves, tea gardens in the northern areas including Panchagarh have resumed plucking for the new season. Fresh tea buds have brought renewed activity to the gardens. Typically, factories shut down toward the end of December when leaf supply declines and operations resume after about two months. However, full-scale production is expected to begin by the end of this month.

At the beginning of the new season, the price of fresh tea leaves has risen. Although the board-fixed price is 28 Taka per kilogram, fresh leaves are currently selling for 34-35 Taka per kilogram. Factory owners say prices may decrease once leaf production reaches full capacity.

Tea Board data showed that in the last season tea was cultivated on 11,599.89 acres of land across the five northern districts-an increase of 73.2 acres compared with the previous year.

Among them, Panchagarh accounted for the largest share, with tea cultivated on 9,819.73 acres across its five upazilas. From these gardens, 83,288,440 KGs of green leaves were collected, producing 1,72, 47,966 KGs of processed tea.

In neighboring Thakurgaon, tea is cultivated on 1,457 acres of land. During the last season, 1,23, 60,357 kilograms of green leaves were harvested there, producing 25,59,664 KGS of processed tea.

Meanwhile, smaller-scale tea cultivation is also expanding in Lalmonirhat, Dinajpur and Nilphamari districts covering 32,287 acres in total. Tea leaves from these areas are processed in factories in Panchagarh.

Currently, the Tea Board has approved 48 tea processing factories in northern Bangladesh. Of these, 30 factories in Panchagarh and one in Thakurgaon are currently operational. These factories purchase green leaves from farmers, process them into finished tea and later sell the products at auction markets in Panchagarh, Chattogram and Srimangal.

According to Mohammad Amir Hasan, acting officer of the Tea Board's Panchagarh regional office, tea cultivation in the northern plain lands has opened a new chapter in Bangladesh's tea industry. The region has now become the second-largest tea-producing area in the country, surpassing the traditional hill regions in expansion.

He added that the increasing area under cultivation and the high quality of tea leaves have boosted demand for northern tea in auction markets. If there are no major natural disasters, the region is expected to produce around 25 million KGs of processed tea in the current season.