High yield for Iona Estate, Agrapatana:

Replanting pays dividends

S.M. Jiffrey ABDEEN Kandy South Group corr.

Iona Estate, Agrapatana owned and managed by ABC Plantations coming under the umbrella of the ABC Group of Companies has achieved the highest yield average of 3,155 kilograms per hectare for the 2008.

This is the highest for the region perhaps for the entire country according to a letter dated December 22, issued by Tea Research Institute of Sri Lanka.

Iona Estate is about 102 hectares in extent and is situated in the heart of the Agras Valley between Albion and Torrington Estates on the way to the Horton Plains through Agrapatana.

The ABC Group of Companies purchased this estate in 2001 and at that it had vegetative propagated tea (VP) to a percentage only about 24.14 per cent and the yield per hectares was 1,615 kgs.

Chairman of the ABC Group Shiran Dissanayake took a bold replanting project where the seedlings were re-planted with VP which has better yields spending a colossal amount on this project. This has paid rich dividends.

Apart from the Chairman, others who played a major role in developing the crop of this estate were General Manager Ravi de Costa and the Superintendent of the Estate Sumedha Madugalle.

According to Madugalle, a close monitoring of the performance of the tea fields was put in place and the field staff were briefed every morning of the quantum of kilograms of green leaf to be harvested per day. Only three applications of the TRI fertiliser was given for the year. The cost was controlled through regular checking. To boost up the crop a timely foliar application was also given to replace the energy of the tea bush at its maximum.

This estate is free of weeds and is in immaculate condition and there is a close monitoring of the control of weeds having an eye on the cost factor.

This estate made extra profits on the sale of tea plants in its nursery. The cost per tea plant is Rs. 6 and the excess plants were sold at Rs. 15 per plant. The only disappointment this estate has is the payment made for its green leaf by the tea factory which manufactures as Iona Estate does not have a factory of its own. Thus it had to depend on the average for the month paid by this factory.

This estate which turned around within a short period is self reliant and has made a net profit of Rs. 3,463,621 against a budget target of Rs. 1,000,000. All capital inputs which amounted to Rs. 2,907,714 was borne at the estate level.

Despite the prevailing drought, this estate has set its eyes on achieving an even higher average yield per hectare in 2009.