Storm brews on SL’s tea plantations
Sri Lanka’s tea industry is ravaged by the storms of present day policies and a health crisis that has hit the plantations and likely to impact the production of Ceylon Tea.
Planters Association Spokesman Dr. Roshan Rajadurai told the Business Times that the issue of a lack of chemicals or fungicide is going to be critical in the short term.
He explained that back in 2018 when the glyphosate was banned the plantation sector faced a number of setbacks resulting in losing prime markets like Japan as they now purchase about 50 per cent less than what they did earlier.
“We lost the Japanese market and they have changed their (tea) packs to Indian and Kenyan market,” he said adding that while Sri Lanka had previously exported nearly 7-8 million kg annually to Japan this has now dropped by over 50 per cent.
Moreover, he noted that the European market has also switched to other teas as a result of a number of local planters using other substances resulting in higher residue levels in the teas.
Dr. Rajadurai pointed out that if there is no fertiliser there will be crop loss and reduction of work and earnings for work.
However, the tea industry remained hopeful that the government will consult practitioners and come to a practical solution to this issue.
Ceylon Tea Traders Association (CTTA) Chairman Jayantha Karunaratne said they had sent a letter to the President on the need to phase out the chemical fertilizer following a due process over a period of time in a systematic manner.
An immediate cessation of chemical fertilizer without an alternate viable solution, will result in an almost 40-50 per cent drop in volumes and export revenues, the letter dated May 6 stated.
The letter was signed by all stakeholders in the industry namely the traders, exporters, planters, brokers, smallholders and factory owners.
“I think the opinion of the state officials is that this is the government policy to and this could be resolved by engaging scientists involved in this process,” Mr. Karunaratne said.
It is likely to be a restricted ban and there could be a method where import of chemical fertiliser could be made by obtaining a special import licence to do so, Mr. Karunaratne said.
Meanwhile, concerns are rising over the increasing COVID-19 hit plantations as two estates continue to remain under lockdown and a number of pockets of cases are emerging in estates around the upcountry and low country.
As a result of the local level lockdowns the COVID-19 positive cases are being isolated on the plantations itself.
Dr. Rajadurai pointed out that with the cropping season on the coronavirus has hit production and in other issues a few regional trade unions are creating further issues.
He noted that these local level regional trade unions representatives are advising estate workers to refrain from plucking any more than 18 kg. But it was observed that there are a larger number of workers who continue to work according to what is available to pluck and not just keeping to the norm.
In the meantime, the tea exporters are facing issues regarding prices at the auctions since some of the key tea markets are said to be not doing very well due to their own economic and COVID-19 related issues, Mr. Karunaratne explained.
He also pointed out that currently despite the ban on travel their workers are able to report to work as they have been permitted to do so. “Officially there is no ban on us to stop work – we all work and our factories work,” he said adding that they do take care of all their employees but the danger still exists.