by Tahir Ali 

 

MANSEHRA, Jan. 18 (Gwadar Pro) – China has a big role to play in promoting Pakistan’s tea industry, as potential suitable sites and land for tea cultivation is located alongside the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), said experts.  

  

As we know, tea has become an integral part of the Pakistani culture.Pakistanis always start a day with a cup of tea. Tea is offered to guests at home, served at official meetings and other occasions.  

 

“If I don’t take strong tea at regular interval, I get a headache and can’t concentrate on driving,” a truck driver Khaisata Rehman told Gwadar Pro when taking a cup of tea at Abdullah’s Dhabba (a teashop along the road).  

 

According to Abdullah, a tea seller in northwestern Pakistan, the price of a smallest cup of Karak tea is Rs. 30, while Doodh Patti is sold at Rs. 50. The average price of one-kilogram black tea is around Rs. 1,000. “Even the rising inflation, did not reduce the number of my customers,” the tea seller told Gwadar Pro.  

 

Pakistan has identified 64,000 hectares of area as suitable for tea cultivation, according to Dr. Abdul Waheed, Director of the National Tea and High Value Crops Research Institute (NTHRI).  

 

However, tea is currently cultivated on around 200 acres of land only. The area of Shinkiari alone produces seven to eight tons of tea annually.  

 

“If we grow tea on 64,000 hectares of land, Pakistan will not only be self-sufficient in tea but will also export tea products to other countries,” said Dr. Abdul Waheed.  

Some farmers have already planted tea at various acreage but mostly very low percentage as the market demand for green tea leaf from farmers is very low. No regulatory or management agency is involved to promote tea plantation by farmers. Thus, the progress so far is very slow. 

 

The Planning Commission of Pakistan has recently completed the Tea cluster study under Agriculture Transformation initiative for commercialization of tea in Hazara and Malakand with a view to reduce the ever-increasing tea imports bill and loss of foreign currency drained on tea import. 

 

According to experts, besides reducing soil erosion and forest degradation, the bushy plants of tea can reduce global warming and can help promote eco-tourism in northwestern part of Pakistan. The rise in tea plantation can also lead to large-scale job opportunities in agriculture and industrial sectors. 

 

As potential suitable sites and land for tea cultivation is located alongside CPEC, China has a big role to play in promoting tea on a commercial scale through joint ventures and technical and financial support.