No abstract

Bangladesh Tea Industry dates back 1856 when British companies established this agrobased industry in hilly area of Sylhet and Chittagong districts. To clean jungle, to make nurseries and to nurture the nurseries at a certain level, then transferring the tea plants from nurseries to plantation which constitutes continuous whole the year-round work, they need regimented work force who would work in the tea plantation for generations, they migrated workers from famine prone areas of India alluring them to enjoy a better life earning wages working in tea estates. The migrated workers succumbed their allurement and last 170 years they are still working generations to generation in tea estates with meagre wages but their life style has not been developed. A cup of tea when served looks pleasant but who knows there are endless plights endured by workers to make a cup of tea with soothing liquor right from tea plantation job, picking quality leaves and to make tea. Their fate is not changed to start a better living but the owners earn huge margin from selling quality tea to international markets.

The present investigation is one part of a research work on the agricultural and processing factors affecting the quality characteristics of processed tomato products specially juice and paste. This study concerned on the influence of fertilization rate of tomato crop with potassium humate on the quality characteristics of tomato fruits based on their chemical composition and functional compounds. A field experiment was conducted on tomato cultivar; (SV 8320 TD' F1 Hybrid) were treated with potassium humate at the levels of 25, 50 and 75 kg/Fed. Chemical analysis of the full ripe tomato fruits showed that fertilization with potassium humate slightly improved the fruit contents of total solids, total soluble solids sugars and ash while, total acidity, pH, protein and fat showed no changes. Moreover, the improving effect of fertilization was more pronounced on tomato contents of the functional compounds. It was found that vitamin C, total carotenoids, lycopene, βcarotene, flavonoids and phenolic compounds considerably increased due to fertilization with potassium humate. The improving effect was more pronounced at the high levels of potassium humate. The antioxidant activity of tomato fruits was also improved as a result of fertilization with potassium humate.

Tea consumption in Bangladesh is increasing 3 percent per annum but its production is increasing 1 percent only. Due to not increasing tea production with the pace of increase in consumption, the title of Bangladesh as a tea exporting country has already been changed to a tea importing country costing at least US$ 70 million annually importing 30 million kg tea to meet the deficit every year. Country may save the hard-earned foreign exchange through increase in tea production from present 85 million kg to 120 million kg in order to stop importing tea, rather export tea utilizing every hectare garden land under tea plantation properly to increase yield per hectare from present 1500 kg to 2500 kg per hectare.