Tea production and trading in Chittagong, currently the lone tea auction centre of the country, is likely to be affected following the government’s decision to start tea auction at Srimongol in Sylhet from the current year. This is causing concern among the business community of the port city. Sources said the Parliamentary Standing Committee of the commerce ministry had already sent a letter to buyers to participate in tea auction at Srimongol. The commerce ministry has been directed to start a second auction centre from the current year, keeping Chittagong as the first tea auction centre of the country, according to sources in the Bangladesh Tea Board.
Nobi Hossain, deputy director of the Bangladesh Tea Board, said: “We’ve called a meeting to make effective the decision of the ministry. The meeting will be held on September 11. We request all to attend the meeting.”
However, the Tea Traders’ Association of Bangladesh has protested against the decision to start a second auction centre at Srimongol.
Abdul Hai, president of the Tea Traders’ Association of Bangladesh, said: “We don’t agree with the ministry’s decision. The ministry can’t impose any decision on tea traders. We’re protesting against the one-sided decision. We’ll soon hold an emergency meeting.”
During August and September last year, tea
traders had boycotted the auction of tea in Chittagong, in protest against the government’s decision. They even termed the decision as a conspiracy against tea traders.
Sources said some government officials, in collusion with tea traders of Srimongol, had proposed to the commerce ministry to shift the auction centre from Chittagong to Srimongol.
The Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) has expressed deep concern over the issue. CCCI president Mahabubul Alam told The Independent that tea auctions are being held in Chittagong since the British period. He said the port city had the necessary infrastructure, including auction houses, testing centres, godowns and brokerage houses for such auctions. The government earns approximately Tk. 160 crore every year from tea auctions, he added. Mahabubul Alam hinted that a quarter with vested interests wanted to stall economic activities in the port city. He urged the commerce minister to take steps to prevent such conspiracies against Chittagong.
Aminur Rashid Quaderi, managing director of Waggya Chara Tea Garden at Kaptai, said: “Some persons belonging to the present government are trying to damage our tea production. They are trying to import low-quality tea from neighbouring countries. Some persons are trying to smuggle our export-quality tea through the Sylhet border.”
“At present, there is no warehouse or infrastructural facilities at Srimongol. If the government shifts the auction centre from Chittagong to Srimongol without any reason, the price of tea in local markets will increase,” he added.
A tea-broker was of the view that the chief whip, finance minister and the chairman of the Bangladesh Tea Board, all of whom hail from Sylhet, are the masterminds of the “conspiracy” against Chittagong. “Our export-quality tea will be smuggled out through the Sylhet border to create an artificial crisis of tea in local markets. This will encourage them to import low-quality tea from Bhutan and Nepal,” he added.
-With The Independent input
