Rs 5 b fund to promote Lankan tea worldwide

Rasika Somarathna

The Plantation Industries Ministry is in the process of setting up a Rs 5 billion fund to promote Sri Lankan tea worldwide.

Plantation Industries Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said the programme aiming to popularise the Ceylon tea brand globally, will promote awareness among the consumers on Sri Lankan tea.

It will also include many other promotional activities.

Rs 2.5 billion has already been collected with the help of tea exporters, the minister said.

Promotional activities aim to raise the demand for Sri Lankan tea in the world market and upgrade the standard of Sri Lankan tea, Samarasinghe said.

Speaking on plans to further develop the industry, he said tea exports fetch around Rs,1.5 billion annually in foreign revenue and the government intends to increase this to reach Rs 3 to Rs 4 billion in the future.

Tea accounts for 24 percent of Sri Lanka’s export income. Tea also directly and indirectly help a large number of people to earn a livelihood.

There are over 400,000 tea smallholders in the country who account for 76 percent of the national tea output.