Bangladesh has beat its record in tea production as a total of 96.50 million kilogrammes (kgs) of the plant were produced by 167 farms across the country last year.

This is the highest annual yield on record, eclipsing 2020's harvest by a good 10.111 million kgs, according to officials of the Bangladesh Tea Board.

The previous highest annual production came in 2019, when a record 96.069 million kgs of tea was produced.

In the northern region alone, plain tea gardens and small plantations added a record amount of 14.54 million kgs of tea to the national production in 2021 as opposed to 10.30 million kgs in 2020.

Md Ashraful Islam, chairman of the Bangladesh Tea Board, said the overall activities of all tea gardens in the country were normal even amid the ongoing Covid-19 situation.

The country's tea production was able to surpass all past records thanks to the government's financial incentives, regular monitoring and counselling by the Bangladesh Tea Board, relentless efforts of garden owners and workers, and ensuring timely distribution of fertilisers at subsidised prices.

Besides, training tea growers at the Camellia Open Sky School and the provision of modern technology made it possible to produce 41 per cent more tea in 2021 compared to 2020 from flat tea gardens and small plantations, he added.