Discussants at a programme in Moulvibazar on Saturday said that the government must pay greater attention to the welfare of tea garden workers and their families to ensure the sustainable development of tea industry.

The speakers made these comments, addressing an event organised by the Bangladesh Tea Board at the Shreemangal auditorium-cum-multipurpose building in Moulvibazar, marking the ‘6th National Tea Day 2026’ at noon.

Stressing the importance of improving the living standards of the tea garden workers, they further said that it is a collective responsibility of the authorities concerned to ensure fair wages, better housing facilities, good healthcare services and educational opportunities for the tea garden labourers.

‘Tea is not just a drink, it is a part of our rich history and the livelihood of millions of people is linked to it’ said Md Mujibur Rahman Chowdhury, Moulvibazar-4 constituency lawmaker, addressing the programme as the chief guest.

Stating that the country has a long tradition of commercial tea cultivation, he said that currently more than 160 tea gardens and several small scale tea farmers currently play a vital role in the national economy.

The celebration programme with the theme ‘Improvement of the tea industry will enrich the economy’,  Bangladesh Tea Board chairman major general Md Mesbah Uddin Ahmed delivered the welcome speech in the event, with commerce ministry secretary Md Ataur Rahman Khan in the chair.

The BTB chairman said that different high-yielding and high-quality clones of tea developed by the Tea Research Institute are playing an important role in increasing production in the industry.

‘To make the tea industry multi-dimensional and export-oriented, the production of various value-added teas including jasmine tea, rose tea, lemon tea, masala tea and chocolate tea is being encouraged,’ he said.

Stakeholders of the tea industry, including Tea Traders Association president Shah Mainuddin Ahmed, Bangladesh Tea Sangsad president Kamran T Rahman, Bangladesh Tea Workers Union general secretary Nripen Pal and workers representatives from various tea gardens addressed the event.

Although National Tea Day is observed annually on May 21, the formal celebration of this year’s event was held on Saturday.