PCS for tea industry

Shirley Wijesinghe

The Sri Lanka Tea Board in collaboration with Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI) have implemented a product certification scheme (PCS) for the tea industry to ensure its quality and price.

Sri Lanka Tea Board Chairman Lalith Hettiarachchi told the Daily News that the Board has implemented innovative strategies to protect Sri Lanka's place in the world tea market.

The benefits expected through the PCS are mainly to bring international recognition, deliver the authentic products to the consumer, reduce non-tariff barrier and economic benefits to both client and supplier, Hettiarachchi said.

The main objectives of the project is to satisfy the global consumer's requirements, to implement PCS for tea packaging, upto the requirements of ISO 9001, ISO22000, HACCP and GMP to assist the tea industry to produce tea that consistently meets the Code of Practice for Tea Industry SLS1315:2007, SLS135: 2009 equivalent ISO 3720 for Black Tea, give guidelines for 'Sri Lankan Origin Tea', he added.

SLTB is the leading statutory authority to the tea industry in promoting 'Ceylon Tea' to remain number one in the international beverage market and is committed to sustainable development , satisfying the needs of growers, tea smallholders, manufacturers, blenders, warehousemen, exporters and global tea consumers.

The SLSI is the national standards body engaged in formulation of national standards representing only member body of ISO in implementing accredited certifications.