305 G.M.R. Islam et al Proc. Pakistan Acad. Sci. 42(4):305-314.2005 Review PRESENT STATUS AND FUTURE NEEDS OF TEA INDUSTRY IN BANGLADESH G.M.R. Islam 1 , M. Iqbal 2 , K.G. Quddus 3 and M. Y. Ali 4 1 Department of Tea Technology, Shah Jalal University of Science & Technology, Sylhet-3114, Bangladesh, 2 Department of Industrial & Production Engineering Shah Jalal University of Science & Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh, and 3 Agrotechnology Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna-9208, Bangladesh Received August 2005, accepted November 2005 Communicated by Prof. Dr. M. A. Hafeez Summary: World tea production has been showing an annual increment of 3 % while in Bangladesh the production has increased by 1.84 % and contributes 1.37 in export in the word tea trade and earns near about 1775 million Taka (Taka 63 = USD 1.00) every year. The activities of tea industry fall into two categories: production of tea and manufacturing & marketing of tea. Low productivity, poor quality and higher cost of production compared to the dividend in price for tea is the crux of the problem. We have to make quality tea, which must satisfy the prescribed criterion of the of the European countries especially Maximum Residue Level (MRL) value of pesticides to restore its name and fame. This paper attempts at focusing on the present condition and support required of tea industry in the country. Introduction Tea is one of the most important non-alcoholic beverage drinks worldwide and has been gaining further popularity as an important ‘health drink’ in view of its purported medicinal value. It is served as morning drink for nearly 2/3rd of the world population daily. The Bangladesh tea industry is one of the major sources of income for the national exchequer. Presently, this industry is facing a multitude of problems. Lack of capital and modern machinery, lower market value of made tea in comparison to increasing production cost, lower yield per hectare in comparison to increasing domestic need and lack of modern techniques for measuring quality of tea constitute some of the nagging problems. There is also lack of perennial water source for irrigation during dry season or during prolonged drought. In addition, some owners of the tea gardens are not using Government. loans properly. Malnutrition among the children of the labour line, security problems of the executives, deterioration of law and order situation of the tea estates (log stealing, political or outsider influence on their internal arrangements, illegal occupation of land by the outsiders), lack of medical facilities for labour and lack of infrastructure (road, quarter, water supply network etc) are some of the other constraints. For successful tea culture, the above problems facing both the manufacturing and the marketing sector need to be addressed immediately. In Bangladesh, there is thus dire need to focus attention on improvements in the manufacturing sector covering quality of tea, its productivity, cost of production as well as the marketing system. The following account reviews the present status of the tea industry in Bangladesh and its support requirements in order to compete with other tea producing countries in the international markets, particularly the European Union. Tea: an overview Tea ( Camellia sinensis L.) belongs to the family Theaceae. It is the oldest non alcoholic caffeine- containing beverage in the world. The Chinese were E-mail: rabi-ttc@sust.edu