TEA chief outlines industry threats, challenges

Cheaper teas, thieving among them:

Ravi LADDUWAHETTY

New Tea Exporters’ Association (TEA) Chairman Niraj De Mel outlined threats and challenges faced in the tea industry and claimed that thieving and cheaper teas were the most major concerns right now.

Addressing the 12th TEA Annual General Meeting at the Galadari Hotel on Friday night and on being inducted as the new Chairman, he said among the challenges that the industry faced were the cheaper teas that were made available to the global consumer by other producing countries, which he said, was steadily decreasing the competitive edge that Sri Lanka once boasted of. “Ceylon Tea, although once known for its finest quality, is now becoming an item that packers could do without or with less than before.

In this connection, my association has submitted many proposals before but has met with severe resistance from other stakeholders of the industry,” he said.

“Not many in the world could afford top quality Ceylon Tea and therefore, new marketing strategies have to be made in this connection of making Ceylon Tea was still present in the majority of consumer packs sold across supermarkets across the world,” he said.

Pointing out other dangers he said that thieving was also a real threat to the survival of the industry. “Thieving not just a few hundred grams but much larger weights and replacing them with lower quality substitutes enroute to tea exporters’ warehouses have caused many of the members many hardships to meet the quality standards and time lines.

He also noted that thieving was such a large scale business that the smooth operations of the tea sector, was under threat from an organised mafia. One of the other dangerous areas that the TEA chief outlines was the adulteration of teas and that has gone to such an uncontrollable level.

“Very soon, there will be questions asked as to what was pure about pure Ceylon Tea,” he remarked.

He also proposed that the dangerous trend be arrested and the wrong doers be punished without fear or favour and no matter who was behind such organised crime.

He also pointed out that Sri Lanka’s competitors were envious of Ceylon Teas as amply demonstrated by many producer countries wanting to emulate Sri Lanka’s success story. “One such example was that Kenya was contemplating switching quite a number of tea factories to orthodox manufacture,” he said. He also underscored the importance of instilling discipline into the industry. “The ugly head of indiscipline should not be allowed into this industry.

The change of course has to begin from each one of us if we are to seriously bequeath to the next generation of Sri Lankans something worth talking about. The game of vacillation and “I take all” must end, he said in his call to the tea industry.

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