TEA PLANTATIONS

In the south and east of Srimongal, the hills and valleys are plantés on hundreds of hectares, sheltered under high rubber, to form green landscapes all year round thanks to their persistent foliage. Walking around the city provides a pleasant feeling of calm and tranquillity. It is the most beautiful of Bangladesh's tea-producing regions, which ensures significant tourism development. If you come to Srimongal in the weekend, you will not be alone, but in the week the region regains its serenity and it is very nice to ride along the paths along the plantations. The two large plantations around Srimongal are Finlay and Zarin Tea Estate. Unfortunately, it is increasingly difficult to access it, because the development of tourism in the region has put a brake on free movement in plantations. The best thing is to go to the entrance gate and ask the official permission to visit. The most interesting thing is, of course, to have access to the processing site, but again the game is not won in advance.

The slight rise in the ground guarantees cooler winters with high rainfall in summer, two factors essential to the cultivation of tea. The tea harvest takes place in winter during the dry season. After the abundant monsoon rains and the return of the sun with winter, new leaves appear at the top of the bushes. This is, of course, the best time to undertake a visit to the surroundings of Srimongal. The plantations are animated and the gatherers lined with coloured saris make a nice difference in the emerald green. They select the most tender and younger leaves, which give the best tea. Heavy bags of leaves are then routed to the processing plant. The transformation process takes place in 5 steps (see box). The workforce used on plantations is mainly feminine because they are preferred for their delicacy in collecting young leaves. Most migrated from India to the end of the th century, where the tea culture was practised by the British around Darjeeling or in the mountains of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. This is why it is not uncommon to cross the paths of small Hindu shrines or temples. Employees can perform their religious rituals and worship without getting too far away. The fascinating beauty of these plantations, which would certainly have inspired the greatest Impressionist painters, is not enough to forget the difficult working conditions of the cueuilleurs. During harvest time, they are trampling on long hours on shrubs voluntarily kept at a reduced size for a wage of misery. They earn only 45 Tk per day, when the price per kilo of rice is 40 Tk, which is not enough to feed a whole family.