The per capita consumption of tea in Pakistan is around one kilogram and is on the increase due to rising demand. The annual per capita consumption in the world is 0.75kg.
The average consumption in the US is 0.35kg, in Australia 2.7kg, in Iran 2.4kg, in Sri Lanka 1.45kg, in India 0.52kg, in China 0.3kg, in Japan 0.94kg, and in Turkey it is 2.15kg.
Many of these countries are not only self-sufficient in production but also net exporters. On the other hand, Pakistan is a small producer but its per capita consumption is high. The domestic production is less than the requirements. Therefore, we are forced to import the commodity.
With the present import of 150,000 tons of tea per year, it is feared that the number will reach 170,000 tons by 2010. The annual tea imports come to Rs15 billion which is a drain on the national exchequer.
The National Tea Research Institute (NTRI) was established in 1970 by Parc, to undertake tea cultivation in the NWFP on experimental basis. The objective was to gain self-sufficiency but efforts made so far did not produce noteworthy results. Only 1,350 acres were brought under plantation since the establishment of this institute. On the other hand, to fulfil national requirements, 170,000 acres need to be brought under cultivation. But the question is how to increase the acreage in the wake of a number of constraints. Climate, particularly extent and frequency of rainfall, type of land, degree of slope of land, availability of inputs, seed and fertilizers, and the labour are important factors. Tea cultivation is not possible in Punjab and Sindh to some extent due to these constraints.
Tea needs suitable climate with a minimum rainfall of 1,140 to 1,270mm and the soil must be acidic. It is a labour-intensive crop and trained labour is required for plantation, topping, picking, curing and marketing. For instance, a crop of 11,650kg per hectares requires 3.7 to 4.9 workers per hectare to pluck shoots and maintain fields. It should be borne in mind that mechanical plucking couldn't replace hand picking because of its lack of selectivity.
Yield per acre varies from field to field. In India, yield per acre is around 450kg. One plant produces about 70kg black tea in a year. In warm climate, the plant is plucked in four years with the production period of 50 years. In countries like Sri Lanka having favourable production factors, tea plant is plucked every 5 to 10 days. In other countries like China and Japan, plucking interval is between 70 to 90 days.
Tea production can be enhanced either by increasing the acreage or by boosting yields through management practices. Suitable areas are available in the NWFP, agencies of tribal areas including Kurram, Orakzai, North and South Waziristan and high altitudes of Balochistan. The acreage can be increased if farmers know better techniques and have credibility that their harvest would be lifted without difficulty.
Yields increase per acre is determined by a combination of factors. Selection of high yielding cultivars is necessary to get good yields. There are hundreds of varieties but only three China, Assam and Cambodia are popularly planted in South and South East Asia. When plant develops to a height of about half a meter above the ground, it is pruned to a few inches to set it on course to develop into a flat-topped bush. Generally, tea bush is 1 to 1.5 meters in height.
Adequate plating density is important for optimum production and a planting density between 22,000 to 30,000 bushes per hectare is recommended for obtaining high yield per hectare. Leaves are economic parts of tea plant and aroma and colour are quality parameters.
Timely picking by trained labour are necessary to get desirable yields. The tea plant is also susceptible to a number of fungal diseases that cause significant production cut. Among them, anthracnose, grey and brown blight infestation is common. Application of suitable pesticides at an early disease attack is necessary. Balanced use of nutrients, especially potassium also reduces the incidence of disease attack.