Bangladesh exported 2.20 million kilogrammes (kg) of tea, in the first 10 months of the current calendar year 2024, the highest annual export volume since 2017, according to Bangladesh Tea Board (BTB).
In 2017, tea exports touched 2.56 million kg in the whole year.
This year's shipments have brought in Tk 382.52 million. However, the country's tea exports are prone to wild fluctuations.
The exports increased because the competitive pricing provided an edge over major exporters like India and Sri Lanka. Another big factor for the increase is Bangladeshi expatriates' preference for buying tea sourced from their homeland.
The BTB data shows that tea exports stood at just 0.65 million kg in 2018 before falling further to 0.60 million kg the year after.
It jumped to 2.17 million kg in 2020, but this positive trend did not persist as tea exports plummeted to 0.68 million kg again in 2021.
However, it has been on the rise since, with 0.78 million kg shipped in 2022 and 1.04 million kg in 2023.
Industry insiders attribute the rise to competitive pricing, which has seen the nation position itself as a favourable supplier.
They said Bangladesh provides tea at competitive prices while Indian and Sri Lankan brands gear their offerings to a more premium segment.
Some of the leaves are sent to Oman from the United Arab Emirates as the company does not export it directly, he said.
The expatriates who are in the UAE and Kuwait prioritise Bangladeshi brands, which is a major factor for exports, they continued.
Bangladesh is currently the world's ninth-largest tea producer, accounting for around 2 percent of the world's total production, according to Bangladesh Tea Association (BTA).
China is the largest, followed by India, Sri Lanka, Kenya, South Korea and Japan are also ranked among the world's largest tea producers.
As competition from brands based in tea-producing giants is rife on the international market, Bangladeshi exporters must strive to ensure quality.
According to the BTB data, the highest amount of tea exported by Bangladesh in a year was 13.65 million kg, which was recorded all the way back in 2002.
Bangladesh has 166 tea gardens covering almost 280,000 acres of land.
A total of 90 of the tea gardens are in Sylhet's Moulvibazar district, which accounts for 55 percent of the tea produced in the country. Habiganj, located nearby, is the second-largest producer, contributing 22 percent.
