Sri Lanka’s tea now lukewarm

Colombo – Crisis-struck Sri Lanka’s vital tea exports have dropped to their lowest level in 23 years, official figures showed yesterday, hit by a fertiliser ban and the war in Ukraine.

Tea is the island nation’s biggest export commodity, bringing in about $1.3 billion (R20.5 billion) annually.

But a bungled ban on fertiliser imports last year – introduced in a doomed effort to save foreign currency and avoid a debt default – hit growers hard, with production falling 18% on-year since November. –