Tea plants in the region have already been affected by sunburn since there was hardly any rainfall in the last three months.

The region experienced light rains in the third week of December last but there was no rainfall in the following two months. In March, only 10mm rain was recorded.

According to met office, the region experienced 65mm rain in March last year.

Most of the tea plantations could not be fertilised yet due to lack of rain. Spurting of leaves in the tea plants also delays this year.

Officials of tea estates and Bangladesh Tea Research Institute (BTRI) apprehend that tea production may decline this year due to the unfavourable weather.

Some big tea gardens arranged irrigation facilities with sprinkler sets but the small ones cannot afford this expensive method of irrigation.

AKM Doulatul Islam, manager of Malnichhara Tea Estate in Sylhet, said both young and mature tea plants in the region have been affected by sunburn.

If the weather condition does not improve in few weeks, gardens which have already started plucking of tea-leaves might have to stop it, he said.

Manager of another tea company said at the beginning of this season, they got only 1000 kg green leaf daily. "But usually we get 2000 kg at this stage."

However, BTRI Director AFM Badrul Alam said tea season began this year with mixed hopes amid adverse effect of long drought.

"There were splashes in two or three days in the tea growing areas," he said. "It's quite inadequate for tea cultivation."

This year the target of tea production has been fixed at 57.5 million kg while the export target is 14 million kg. In 2003, the country produced 56.83 million kg of tea and exported 13.66 million kg.