RANGPUR, Aug 3 (BSS): Increased tea cultivation is bringing economic solvency to the people, especially empowering the distressed women in the district.

Over the recent years, farmers at all levels side by side with big investors have been showing their utmost interest in tea cultivation, now considered as a cash crop in the sub-Himalayan district.

Tea production has been increasing continuously, prompting a faster growth of the sector in changing the socio-economic condition of common people, including the small and marginal farmers as well as the poor women.

After the recent prolonged drought, as mush as 175 mm rainfall over the week helped the tender tea plants grow excellent in all the gardens in the district, farmers and officials said.

The recent drought had a temporary adverse affect on the normal growth of the tender tea leaves, newly pruned branches and saplings, but the plants are now regaining their full strength wearing a greenish look.

The growers, workers, chamber leaders and local experts said tea plantation could be further expanded in the district and its adjoining areas with setting up of more tea processing industries, competitive markets for tea leaves and resolving problems facing this sector in the region.

At present around 7,000 skilled and unskilled workers, mostly housewives, widows, divorcees and unemployed young girls, have been working in 264 small, 18 medium-sized and eight huge tea

estates on an area of 2,200 acres in Panchagarh district.

According to the officials, the growing tea sector is predicting the economy's further enhancement with increased empowerment of women, as hundreds of distressed females are gradually becoming self-reliant by earning their bread and butter from tea gardens and sending their children to schools.

The small-scale tea growers are now not incurring losses as the tea processing factories of Tentulia Tea Company Limited and Karotoa Tea Garden in Panchagarh have been purchasing green tea leaves at Tk 11 per kilogramme against their demand of Tk 15 per kilogramme.