Financial Times

Dr. Ziyard Mohamed, Director of the Tea Research Institute of Sri Lanka who was removed from his post last month over an issue of an overseas trip is to be reinstated. President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Friday directed Plantation Minister Milroy Fernando to withdraw the vacation of post notice served on Dr. Mohamed.

The Sunday Times FT learns that the Chairman of the TRI Amarananda Weerasinghe who was allegedly involved in serving the vacation of post notice on Dr. Ziyard is to be removed from his post.

Dr. Ziyard who earlier appealed to the Plantation Ministry for reinstatement told The Sunday Times FT,

“If there was any doubt whether this was a case of victimisation, that was cleared when Nuwara Eliya Magistrate Leon Seneviratne himself broached the issue of this being a case of victimisation.”

Dr Mohamed, highly respected by the industry, was part of a tea delegation that went to Tokyo to convince the authorities that Ceylon Tea was not contaminated as suspected. It was the TRI director who with scientific evidence and seven presentations to the Japanese authorities – by him and supported by the team -was able to convince the authorities that Ceylon Tea was a safe product. Japan buys nine million of kg a year, only about three percent of the total tea exports but it’s the highest priced teas sold and worth a total of Rs 2.7 billion last year. The unofficial ban of Ceylon Tea to Japan, which saw the Colombo tea auction falling sharply by Rs 40 per kg on a day when Japanese buyers were absent, is to be lifted on May 29.

So why was such a highly-rated official in the industry victimized? “I don’t know. Somebody didn’t like me, maybe,” he said, distressed and concerned over an incident that occurred as he was taking on the Japanese on their own turf to make a clear case that Ceylon Tea was not contaminated. That mission ended in success for the country’s main commodity export but for Dr Mohamed it was injustice awaiting him at home.

There had been meetings on February 13 and 21 called by the Colombo Tea Traders Association and held at the Tea Board to discuss the Japanese pull out from the auction.