Ceylon Tea’s fame needs to be regained

Sri Lanka’s tea industry is currently under threat and Ceylon Tea’s fame globally needs to be regained, Sri Lanka Tea Board Chairman Niraj De Mel said recently at the 168th Planters Association AGM held at the Galadari in Colombo.

The Sri Lankan tea industry is severely under threat and though ‘we’ belittled the capability of India, today they are the second largest tea producer in the world, he noted.

Hinting at various “inconveniences” that contributed to the current impasse, Mr. De Mel preferred not to delve into detail about the matter.

He pointed out that India today is better organised than they were in the past and their teas are becoming more affordable at US$2-3 cheaper than Sri Lankan tea.

In this respect, he called on planters to “get back onto the fields” and in a serious note stated “we must regain what Ceylon Tea was known for.”

Newly elected Chairman of the Planters Association Senaka Alawattegama renewed the call for a wage reform towards a productivity linked wage model as the only “practical way forward.”

However, he noted that good faith negotiation has ended in thuggery as a result of the mob violence incited by politically connected individuals.

He also commended Plantation Minister Ramesh Pathirana’s efforts in assisting the industry at crucial instances and also urged him to ensure law and order prevails on the estates.

Mr. Alawattegama also pointed out the dwindling estate population from 327,000 in 1992 to 115,000 to date.

Mr. Alawattegama said that despite the reversal of the ban on agriculture chemicals “sadly the effects of these lopsided policies will continue for years to come”.

Despite the reversal he noted that the RPCs were not prioritised for the purchase of fertiliser for the sector. “We reiterate that the plantation sector should not be punished for the ill- conceived policies which we had no hand in implementing.”

He also renewed the call for the required agri chemicals to combat the Pesta Leaf Fall disease for the rubber sector.

The new chairman also insisted that policy makers need to revisit oil palm cultivation and save the few dollars to purchase these imports whereas it could be produced locally.

At present Sri Lanka produces approximately 29,000 MT of oil palm per annum that is only about 80- 10 per cent of the country’s edible oil requirement. The value of those imports is now $ 150 million.

Past Chairman Bhathiya Bulumulle said that the industry has shown resilience in sustaining the sector’s performance and in the conduct of its welfare programmes during the worst of times.

He said due to global fertiliser supply chains been thrown into complete disarray, the absolute volume of fertilizer produced internationally has fallen and prices spike to 20 fold. As a result fertiliser will continue to be scarce and expensive with many estates cut off from fertilizer supplies for upto 18 months.

Plantation Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana addressing the AGM stated that things are returning to normalcy and said the government will continue to support the industry as they continue to face many challenges.