New global tea promotion drive

Chamikara Weerasinghe

The Government will launch a global campaign from next year to promote Sri Lankan tea under the Ceylon Tea Lion Logo.

The Lion Logo brand will be the guarantee for quality of Ceylon tea.

According to Plantation Industries Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe Rs 1 billion will be allocated for the campaign annually for the next five years.

The campaign was lined up to set up an international marketing system for local tea exports.

The exporters have agreed to the program, he said.

A promotion and marketing committee appointed by the Minister is currently studying in which regions and how they would promote Sri Lankan tea brands with the aim to create a higher demand in the international market, said Sri Lankan Tea Board Promotion Director Hasitha De Alwis.

The moneys used will be from a fund created by Minister Samarasinghe and Tea Board’s Chairman Susantha Ratnayake by introducing a Marketing and Promotion Levy on tea exporters in which Rs 3.50 will be charged from them for every kilo of tea exported, said Alwis.

The country exports about 300 million kilos of tea annually.

This contribution from the exporters will be utilized only for the purpose of promoting and marketing Sri Lankan tea abroad, said Alwis.

The nucleus of the campaign is to promote demand for Sri Lankan tea internationally with confidence of quality to be guaranteed to consumers through the brand names attached to the name and the Ceylon Tea Lion Logo.

Asked where the Board is planning to promote the campaign , Alwis said they plan to have the campaign in full force in the EU and CIS countries and also in the Middle East and the Gulf reg ion.

The Middle East and Gulf buy 50 percent of Sri Lankan tea. Russia and CIS countries buy the other half.