Dhaka, Aug. 16 -- The government has turned down the commerce ministry's plea to provide electricity for the tea industry at subsidised prices.

"There is no scope for supplying electricity for tea production, as enjoyed by the agriculture crop sector," the Power Division under the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources informed the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) in a letter.

The commerce ministry had recently submitted a proposal to the division in line with a request made by the Bangladesh Tea Association (BTA), the representative organisation of the country's tea estate owners.

Currently, financial assistance is provided as subsidies from the revenue budget against the government's tariff deficit loss due to purchasing electrici...