Planters’ Association to host first virtual AGM on Sept. 30

The Planters’ Association of Ceylon (PA) will be hosting its 167th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on September 30, 2021. 

Notably, this will be the first time the AGM will be hosted on a virtual platform. 

Founded in 1854 – the objective of the PA is to promote, foster and protect the plantation industry of Sri Lanka as well as the interests of the planting community and members of the association.

The PA’s membership includes representatives of Sri Lanka’s 23 Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs), which manage approximately 40 percent of the country’s tea, rubber, coconut and oil palm in addition to the management of over 330 factories. The sector directly employs over 125,000 individuals and when combined with indirect employment, is estimated to provide a livelihood of over one million Sri Lankans across the island.  

From its inception, the PA has been at the forefront of numerous vital initiatives relating to development of the country’s plantation industry – from contributing approximately one-fourth of the cost of constructing Sri Lanka’s hill-country railway systems in 1857 through the imposition of a voluntary cess to similar measures that led to the country’s first-ever tea promotion campaign in 1894, in addition to playing a leading role in the establishment of the Tea Research Institute of Ceylon in 1925.

The association advocates in favour of progressive policies that ensure the continuing viability of the Sri Lankan plantation industry, including issues related to wages, productivity, crop diversification and other pertinent agricultural practices and policies while raising awareness on the impact of policies on the industry and its large group of stakeholders.