Tea industry export earnings losses at Rs.15 bn in 2017

The Sri Lankan tea industry has accrued losses amounting to approximately Rs. 15 billion in export earnings last year, a top government official said on Thursday.

Plantations Ministry Secretary J.A. Ranjith told the Business Times that the glyphosate ban had impacted on export earnings resulting in a loss of Rs.15 billion in 2017.

As a result the ministry forwarded a cabinet paper seeking a lifting of the ban on the application of glyphosate to the tea estate sector.

However, the cabinet last week decided to appoint a committee to study the consequences of using glyphosate. In this respect, Mr. Ranjith said that they had been asked by the President to send in their nominations to the committee.

Similarly, nominees from the Ministries of Agriculture and Health would also be made that would comprise the committee.

Asked what alternative the government has come up with, Mr. Ranjith said that the Tea Research Institute (TRI) is currently carrying out studies to ascertain what other substance could be used.

The tea industry has been requesting the government to lift the ban on glyphosate and to find an alternative substance that could replace glyphosate should the ban continue.

Some plantations have been involved in the use of a number of other weedicides that have caused Ceylon Tea to run into issues having been detected with high residue levels. As a result the teas have been rejected by countries like Japan and certain European states.

Meanwhile, Planters Association Chairman Suni Poholiyadde told the Business Times on Friday that with the monsoon rains setting in the losses could worsen on the estates as the requirement for a weedicide would increase during this time of the year.

He pointed out, “We will not be able to get the potential yield,” this year due to the absence of the use of glyphosate on the estates.

Mr. Poholiyadde explained that following the drastic drop in workers available to cultivate the lands the use of chemicals for commercial agriculture remains a necessity.

While the industry was able to find workers to harvest the teas, manual weeding however, could not be carried out on the estates and pointed out that the industry had precautions to ensure that they do not use other substances not recommended by the authorities.

CORRECTION