Adulterated tea, harmful to human health, is being sold under the guise of quality tea. Low-grade tea leaves, illegally imported from India, are being processed and packaged with an unpleasant odor for market distribution. These substandard teas pose a significant health risk to the people of Bangladesh and tarnish the reputation of the tea industry. To curb these illegal activities, the Bangladesh Tea Board’s mobile court has launched operations to take action.

A mobile court, led by Executive Magistrate and Deputy Secretary of the Bangladesh Tea Board, Sabina Yasmin, conducted raids at multiple locations in Sreemangal Upazila yesterday. During an inspection at the ‘Green Leaf Tea Factory’ on Habiganj Road, it was found that the establishment was producing green tea without valid registration from the Tea Board. For this violation, the factory was sealed, and a fine of BDT 50,000 was imposed.

On the same day, an operation at ‘Messrs Gachpeer Enterprise and Tea House’ on Sonar Bangla Road led to the seizure of 75 sacks of Indian CD tea (each weighing 70 kg) stored in the Shahibag residential area. For illegally storing foreign tea, an individual named Jubel Miya was sentenced to one month in prison.

The mobile court operation was attended by BTRI Director Dr. Ismail Hossain, Tea Board’s Assistant Director (Commerce) Md. Abdullah Al Borhan, Scientific Officer Selina Akter, and other officials.

Sabina Yasmin, Executive Magistrate and Deputy Secretary of the Tea Board, stated, “We have seized Indian tea that was illegally smuggled into Bangladesh. These teas belong to the dust category, which are of extremely low quality and typically discarded. However, these substandard teas are being mixed with good-quality tea and sold in our markets, which is highly concerning.”

She further added, “Our operations began in Panchagarh, and we are now conducting similar raids in Sreemangal. We have observed a significant amount of illegal tea trade in Sreemangal, which poses a severe threat to the country’s economy and public health. Over the past three days, we have been conducting continuous operations and have seized additional tea stocks that were being marketed illegally outside the government-regulated auctions. This results in revenue loss for the government, as these teas evade the bad tax framework. This is a major obstacle to government revenue collection.”

She continued, “Not all tea produced in Bangladesh is properly reported by tea gardens and factories to the government or offered at auctions. In pursuit of excessive profits, they sell these teas outside the auction process, which is gradually harming the country’s economy. Additionally, low-quality tea is being illegally imported from India at a very low cost and sold at high prices in Bangladesh’s markets. These substandard teas are hazardous to public health.”

“We aim to protect Bangladesh’s tea industry, improve the quality of locally produced tea, and ensure that illegal imports and marketing do not harm our tea sector. That’s why we have taken a firm stance against these illegal activities and will continue our operations,” she concluded.