Sri Lanka’s US$ 50 million global tea promotion campaign to commence next month from Russia
Sri Lanka’s US$50 million global campaign to promote Ceylon Tea is to commence next month in Moscow, Russia followed by 11 other key markets. The campaign is aimed at boosting Sri Lanka’s export earnings from the tea sector.
Russia is reportedly the biggest market value wise, though No. 2 in terms of volume behind Iraq. In 2018, Russia had imported 30.5 million kilograms worth US$ 154 million.
The Sri Lanka Tea Board has announced that tt is the first time in the 150 years of Ceylon Tea that the government of Sri Lanka will conduct a massive global promotion campaign of this magnitude.
“We are all set to launch our global promotion campaign in Moscow on 25 September. The kick-off of the promotions will then be followed by the advertising and publicity campaign scheduled in Ukraine in October,” Sri Lanka Tea Board (SLTB) Chairman Lucille Wijewardena has recently told Daily FT.
Noting that Russia was one of the key export markets for Ceylon Tea, he has observed that SLTB had earmarked Rs. 600 million for Russia and Rs. 200 million for Ukraine until 2021 under the global campaign.
Wijewardena has further noted that the promotional campaign drive would be rolled out in two vital Far Eastern countries — Japan and China.
The other target markets within the campaign include the US, Australia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran, Chile and Germany.
A budget of US$ 50 million (Rs. 8.75 billion) has been allocated for this unprecedented propaganda campaign, Wijewardena has noted.
He has added that SLTB had refocused its promotion campaign from expensive traditional methods to more effective social media platforms to reach out to a larger audience.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka’s tea sector has been continuously recording a growth in the export market, thereby recording an increase in export earnings. The government of Sri Lanka has also taken several policy decisions to assist the companies; especially the small and medium scale ones, engaged in the tea plantation sector upgrade their businesses to ensure the manufacturing globally competitive tea products. The scheduled global tea promotional campaign would further boost the growing tea sector in Sri Lanka. All this would expand the business potential of Sri Lanaka’s tea sector. The many trade agreements and trade concessions enjoyed by the country would further help Sri Lanka’s tea exports. Foreign businesses/investors could therefore explore opportunities in Sri Lanka’s tea industry.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/26082019/Z_2 |