By Ayesha Saba ISLAMABAD, March 28 (INP-WealthPK): Tea production in Pakistan is limited by various factors, including economic constraints, adverse climatic conditions, poor soil fertility, shortage of irrigation water, less rainfall, high temperature and poor literacy levels of farmers, a lack of tea processing units in potential areas and the tea selling market. Pakistan is perhaps one of the few countries where tea has attained the status of basic food. Due to the high growth in population, the demand for tea is growing at an accelerating rate. The per-capita consumption of tea in Pakistan is estimated to be one kilogramme a year. But tea production in the country is not sufficient to meet the growing demand, which makes Pakistan the world’s second largest tea importer. On its part, the government established a national tea research station on 50 acres of land in Shinkiari area of Mansehra district on the advice of Chinese tea experts in 1986, which later became the National Tea & High Value Crops Research Institute (NTHRI) in 2013. The NTHRI is an important player in encouraging tea cultivation in the country. Chinese tea specialists have given a synopsis report on the achievability of tea plantation in Pakistan, affirming that 64,000 hectares of land was suitable for tea growing in Mansehra and Swat regions. Pakistan will not only be self-sufficient in tea but will also be able to export tea products if the recommended 64,000 hectares of land comes under cultivation. Pakistan currently grows tea on just 200 acres of land. However, in order to carry out tree plantation on a commercial scale, the government has decided to utilise about 25,000 acres in the potential areas over the next five years. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported that in 2020, Pakistan was a leading tea importing country in the world, with an increment of 38.87% during the first quarter of the fiscal year 2020-21 compared to the same period of the preceding year. The tea imports recorded $141.965 million during July-September 2020-21 as against imports of $102.230 million in July-September 2019-20, according to PBS data. According to experts, China has played a crucial role in promoting tea in Pakistan. As potentially suitable sites are located along with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, China has a large role to play in promoting tea on a commercial scale through joint ventures and technical and financial support. Pakistan also lacks skillful labour in picking the leaves because the quality of tea also depends upon the picking techniques of the leaves. One of the most important factors, which strongly discourage tea cultivation, is that the farmers are reluctant to grow tea because it is a long duration and high-cost crop. They prefer short duration crops like vegetables, maize, rice and wheat that provide quick returns.