Large-scale tea bush replanting programme in Sri Lanka in 2025
The Morning: Plans are underway to commence a large-scale tea bush planting campaign by October in order to address the prevailing issue of decreasing yields of Sri Lanka’s ageing tea bushes, the Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure reveals.
The Tea Small Holdings Development Authority (TSHDA) and the Sri Lanka Tea Board (SLTB) are expected to be stakeholders in these plans.
Speaking to The Sunday Morning Business, Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure Secretary B.K. Prabath Chandrakeerthi admitted that yields of tea bushes in the country had decreased significantly due to ageing.
He added that therefore, there was a vital need to carry out a tea bush planting programme.
Accordingly, he revealed that the ministry, together with the TSHDA and the SLTB, was taking the necessary measures to commence a large-scale tea planting programme by October.
“Tea planting must be done in October since there is a need for adequate rain in order to plant. The sporadic rain showers we are receiving right now are not enough and we will soon be facing the dry season. A majority of our tea production is currently being done by tea smallholders.
“Last year, our annual tea production was around 262 million tonnes, which represents a slight increase compared to the preceding year. We need to increase our tea production for the export market.
“Since a majority of tea producers are tea smallholders, we have been carrying out tea bush replanting programmes aimed at them. Additionally, we have been planting tea bushes in abandoned tea estates,” he stated.
Chandrakeerthi further stated that the ministry, together with the TSHDA and SLTB, would provide the necessary financial assistance for tea bush replanting efforts. Moreover, such efforts will be further supported by the fertiliser subsidies that will be provided to tea smallholders.
Responding to a query by The Sunday Morning Business on the precise extent of the replanting efforts, the Secretary stated that he could not recall the exact extent of land that would be replanted but confirmed that the programme would be a large-scale effort.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka’s tea industry is on a growth path industry stakeholders focusing on further uplifting and expanding operations in the industry. The local tea industry is also focused on Sri Lankan teas regaining the top slot enjoyed by locally produced tea, known as Ceylon Tea, and related products in the foreign markets in the past. The many trade agreements as well as trade concessions enjoyed by Sri Lanka with other countries and the growth and expansion of local tea businesses indicate the increasing business potential in the local tea industry. The many business/investment opportunities presented by the local tea industry present many lucrative ventures for foreign businesses/investors. These opportunities range from direct to indirect ones that include the development of infrastructure and supplementary infrastructure facilities required to produce tea and related products to meet the growing needs of the foreign markets as well as providing technical expertise and technologies to be on par with the evolving markets. Tea exporters have also ventured into expanding their tea and related product portfolio. Given all these positive developments in Sri Lanka’s tea industry, foreign businesses/investors could confidently explore the expanding business/investment opportunities in the industry while also looking at expanding operations through collaborations with local businesses.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20250214/Z_1 |