<h2>Tea- A Cash Crop of Bangladesh</h2>

Leaf of Tea

                                      

Tea is the most popular drink in the present day world. We get it from tea leaves. Tea leaves were first obtained from a kind of small plant which had its origin in China. There it was and is still called ‘cha’ from which the English word ‘tea’ is derived. Tea is one of the main cash crops of Bangladesh. It is an important item in our export and earns a fair amount of foreign exchange for our country. only a couple of countries ago, tea was unknown in Europe and when it was first introduced in England, it was a costly delicacy which only the rich could afford the drink. But now-a-days it has become very cheap and readily available. It is now grown in large quantities in India, Bangladesh, China, Japan, Indonesia, Ceylon and Formosa. In Bangladesh it is grown in Sylhet and Chittagong.                            

                             

                      Tea plants grow well on hill sides where the rainfall is abundant but water does not stand. In the rainy season, tea-seeds are first sown in a nursery. The seedlings are then transplanted over vast areas in rows at short intervals. Much care is needed in watering the saplings. In weeding the field and in protecting the plants against worms and insects. In wild state a tea plant may grow up to be a thirty feet high tree but in plantation. It is not allowed to grow so high. After a certain stage in its growth, its twigs are carefully pruned so that it can not reach to a height of more than to five feet or so. This process of pruning is necessary for two reasons. In the first place, if they are allowed to grow wildly, they become sickly and do not yield a good crop. Secondly, it becomes difficult to gather the birds and leaves, as it has to be done at regular intervals.                      

Garden of Tea

                     There are generally four crops a year, but the first crop is the best. The first crop is gathered in April, the second in May, the third in June and fourth in August. A large number of coolies, both male and female go out in the morning , each with a basket thrown over the back and gather the buds which make tea best, secondly, the smaller leaves, which are next in quantity to the buds, and thirdly, the large leaves which are altogether rougher and less flavored. The names of these three varieties are Pekoe, Suchong and Congu.

                       The buds and the leaves thus gathered are taken teahouse where they are rolled by a machine and dried in a huge cauldron placed over a burning fire. The color of the tea is gradually changed from brown to black owing to the heat and the subsequent exposure to the air. Great care is taken to preserve the flavor of the tea. After this process, tea is packed in large chests for export or put up for sale in the market. We all know that a kind of liquor is prepared from tea leaves. Water is first boiled in a kettle and a quantity of tea leaves is then put in it. When the tea is sufficient soaked in four or five minutes, the water turns reddish. The liquid is then poured through a sieve into cups. Some milk and sugar are then added to the reddish water to make it a tasteful liquor. Tea is very useful to the people of cold countries. It refreshes the body and mind . It gives for energy for work. It also helps us to keep awake. It is a very cheap tiff in to many. Tea is also used for making dyes. But it is not always good for the people of hot countries. It kills hunger. So too much of it is bad for health.