BRAC Tea Estates

A BRAC Social Enterprise

In Bangladesh the first tea plantation was in Chittagong in 1840, followed by Malnicherra tea state in Sylhet established in 1854. The tea garden workers were brought in Bangladesh during the 1850s and 60s from different parts of India. These workers were treated by the British owners much like slaves, and when they were brought in in Bnagldeshi tea estates from different parts of British India, their sovereign system was replaced by the rules of the tea estate owners.  Until this day the workers' socioeconomic situation remains almost unchanged and they are still treated almost like those in the British days. Tea estates are like isolated islands within the country and because the workers come from different places and tare reated in a different way,  their culture, traditions are very different than the rest of the Bangladeshi people.

BRAC Tea Estates were established in 2003 with four tea estates in Chittagong with an aim to set up model tea estates that would be engaged in improving the lives of tea estate workers with essential livelihood facilities such as food, housing, treatment, education and entertainment facilities. These tea estates also  introduced Teak, Rubber, Bamboo Shoots and Agar plantation.

BRAC currently operates five tea gardens, which are Karnaphuli, Kodala, Quyachora, Chanpur Belga and Tag Bari tea garden. These tea gardens, except  for the Tag Bari tea garden, have their own factories. The gardens are spread accross a total of 14,229 acres of lands and The annual production from these gardens is 1,861,301kgs which are exported to various countries.

Total estate land - 14,229 acres

Land under tea plantation- 4,423 acres

Total Production (2010) - 1,861,301 Kg

Types of gradation (based on size of the grain) - 9