Increasing tea production

Alternative measures on way - Minister

Shirley Wijesinghe

The Sri Lanka Tea Board (SLTB) will attend all International Tea Trade Fairs in future to project the high quality of Sri Lankan tea to customers worldwide, said Plantation Minister D.M. Jayaratne.

The promotional activities focused at international level will be conducted in various countries, Minister Jayaratne added.

Minister Jayaratne said that a decline in tea production in the first quarter of 2009 was directly due to the severe drought which affected tea growing areas.

The total tea export for the first quarter of 2008 was 319.8 million kgs.

But the Government has already decided to introduce alternative measures to increase local tea production despite odd weather conditions, Jayaratne added.

According to sources, more than 50 percent of the total tea production will be exported to Middle East countries.

Russia and Central Asian countries account for 25 percent of our tea imports.