Ceylon Tea will soon vanish: Yogarajan

By Yohan Perera

Sri Lanka is facing the danger of losing its reputation it has created for itself over the years, a politician representing the estate sector said.

Former MP who has been a leading member Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) and former UNP MP R. Yogarajan said ‘Ceylon tea’ which is an image which Sri Lanka has maintained for centuries could vanish soon because of the failure by the plantation companies to undertake replanting.

He highlighted that as per the Tea Research Institute (TRI), the replanting program is lagging behind seriously at 0.47 percent whereas it should be 2 percent annually. The two percent rate is because the average age of a tea bush is 50 years in the case of seedlings.

In 2003 about 10 years after the privatization of estates, an agricultural census was done by the TRI visiting 304 tea estates showed that total land cultivated was 70.51 ha. The yield per hectare was less than 1,000 kgs/ha in 42.25 percent of the cultivated area. 

The average yield in the Tea Small Holdings sector is between 2000 to 2300 kgs/ha.

 “Almost all tea bushes are almost 80 years old and some are hundred years of age. You cannot expect high yield in such a situation. Another threat is the new producers such as Kenya and China who are capturing the markers fast,” he also said.

“One cannot blame the workers for it and avoid payment of a fair wage,” he added.

Yogarajan questioned as to why the unions are silent about securing a daily wage of Rs 1700 for estate workers. 
“It is clear that some unions are getting assistance from the plantation companies. This may be the reason for their silence. Situation is that the government alone will have to fight the companies to secure a wage hike,” he said.