The Bangladesh Tea Research Institute (BTRI) on Saturday launched its 60th annual tea-related training course, aiming to enhance professional skills and promote sustainable practices across the country’s tea sector.
The week-long programme began at around 11:00am at the Bangladesh Tea Board’s Management Training Centre in Sreemangal, with Md Moazzem Hossain, Member (Research and Development) of the Bangladesh Tea Board and Joint Secretary, attending as the chief guest.
Presiding over the inaugural ceremony, Dr Md Ismail Hossain, Director of BTRI, emphasised the importance of applying scientific research and modern management techniques to increase productivity while ensuring environmental sustainability in tea cultivation.
Md Tahsin Ahmed Chowdhury, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of James Finlay Tea Company, and GM Shibli, Chairman of the Sylhet Branch of the Bangladesh Tea Association, joined the event as special guests. They highlighted the need for skilled human resources and research-driven decision-making to address current challenges in the tea industry.
The session was moderated by Dr Shamim Al Mamun, Chief Scientific Officer and Head of BTRI’s Entomology Division. Mufti Hasan, Director (Operations) of Paragon Tea Company, also addressed the participants, stressing the role of training in improving operational efficiency at tea estates.
About 40 participants—including assistant managers, estate managers, new tea garden owners (tea planters) and tea buyers from Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Panchagarh, Habiganj and Sreemangal—are attending the training.
Organisers said the course will cover modern tea production and estate management, practical application of recent research findings, integrated pest and disease management, climate-resilient cultivation practices, and strategies for sustainable growth of Bangladesh’s tea industry.
They also noted that such training programmes play a key role in preparing the industry to cope with rising production costs, climate variability and increasing global quality standards.
