Good agricultural practices to increase tea productivity

Ramani Kangaraarachchi

Tea research scientists have revealed that Sri Lanka has the potential to yield 10,000 kg of made tea per hectare, Chairman Tea Research Institute, Gerry Jayawardena said speaking on "Sustainabilitea" through Good Agricultural Practices at the International Tea Convention held at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel Colombo yesterday.

He said Sri Lankan tea productivity is low and the average production is around 1600 kg per hectare.

"The planters using new technology have yielded up to 7000 kg per hectare and further research has shown that it can increase up to 10000 kg by adopting good agricultural practices ensuring economic viability," he said.

Jayawardena pointed out that it shows the country's potential.

Deputy Chairman Kahawatte Plantation Dan Seevaratnam said scientific planning is necessary to identify the best lands for tea cultivation considering current yield of the land.

He said that the major tea producing countries should agree on national production targets for the short, medium and long term as tea consumption is to be increased by three per cent per annum. Therefore supply also needs to grow at approximately three per cent.

He pointed out that tea production should be targeted to keep pace with the growing global demand for tea and also to strike a balance to avoid global over or under supply.

Seevratnam referring to employment challenges in the industry said that it is highly labour intensive and the cost of production is 70-72 per cent.

He warned that the number of people engaged in growing tea is reducing drastically with countries world over shifting from agriculture to industry.