By Arooj Zulfiqar

ISLAMABAD, July 15, (INP-WealthPK): Pakistan has the potential to increase significantly the production of tea with the help of China and promote it at the international level to save foreign reserves, WealthPK reports.

China has been helping Pakistan in growing tea in different areas of the country since 1982. With the help of China, the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) has established a tea estate over an area of 50 hectares in Shinkiari, Mansehra, along with units for processing black and green tea.

Dr. Fayyaz Ahmed, the principal scientific officer at National Tea and High-Value Crops Research Institute (NTHRI), Shinkiari, told WealthPK that Pakistan had the potential to increase its tea production with help of China. Pakistan has been conducting research on tea since 1986.

He said that Chinese experts surveyed Pakistan in 1982 and identified Malakand, Battagram, Mansehra, Shangla, Dir and a few areas in Azad Jammu and Kashmir as the most suitable places for growing tea. They also started growing tea in those areas.

“Our institute is spread over 50 hectares, 35 of which are dedicated to the tea plantation and its processing. The institute conducts research on tea cultivation. It has units for processing both black and green tea,” said Dr. Fayyaz.

However, he said that the tea plantation caused them a lot of problems as local farmers were not used to it. He said that they tried to convince the local farmers to grow tea, but the production process took six to seven years and they couldn’t wait for such a long period.

“So, we suggested to the government to intervene and grow tea at a large scale on the forest land. Federal Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal during his visit to Shinkiari stressed the need for local tea production to save foreign reserves. This month, Shinkiari was visited by Chinese experts as well. We are working together to promote tea at a commercial scale,” said Dr. Fayyaz.

He said that tea cultivation required a specific environment, including acidic soil. He said that tea could be cultivated in Punjab due to its alkaline soil. He added that tea could be grown in hilly areas.

“For tea, a moderate temperature is preferred rather than a high one. The optimal range is 13 degrees to 30 or 35 degrees. Chinese tea varieties suit our environment so we import them from China. We must learn about the technological innovations of China and utilise their advanced tea processing equipment as well as other machinery used during tea production,” he said.

Dr. Fayyaz said that they needed to commercialise tea cultivation and grow it at a commercial scale. He said that they had a few inputs for tea cultivation and some studies had already been conducted on its production and processing.

“Small farmers require government’s support because they are unable to grow tea on their own,” he said. He said that government should declare the particular region as a tea estate, where tea could be grown as processing facilities were also available there.

Dr. Fayyaz said that the private sector should also invest in the tea plantation to encourage farmers to cultivate tea.

“The role of government is vital for encouraging the private sector to get engaged in tea cultivation. The government should provide subsidies to the landowners, who wish to grow tea because their farms are small and growing tea takes time. The government should also offer loans to tea farmers,” he told WealthPK.

Credit:

Independent News Pakistan-INP