Hingalgoda Tea Factory wins Best Tea Factory Medium Scale award

Hingalgoda Tea Factory was the recipient of the prestigious award ‘Best Tea Factory (Medium Scale) in the Galle Region’ at the National Plantation Awards held on 12 July 2012 at Temple Trees. The factory is owned by Tea Smallholder Factories and managed by John Keells Teas (Private) Limited.  The award was presented by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to Tea Smallholder Factories CEO Anil Perera.  Minister of Plantation Industries, other distinguished guests and all industry stakeholders were present at this ceremony.

Hingalgoda Tea Factory was constructed in 1984 and is located in Hiniduma in the district of Galle.  The factory is equipped to undertake dual manufacture viz., CTC (crush, tear and curl) and orthodox teas. The Hiniduma sub agro climatic region consists mainly of tea small holders, owning small blocks of tea lands ranging from half to one acre. These small holders meticulously cultivate their lands to produce the best green tea leaves.  
The factory caters exclusively to the tea small holders of the area where over 1,500 growers supply their green leaf for processing. The factory focuses on providing quality extension and advisory services to the tea small holders by transferring knowledge on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP).  
This knowledge transfer has benefited the small holder to increase the productivity of their lands whilst the factory has benefited by receiving a superior standard of green leaf necessary for the manufacture of a quality product. Seminars and field demonstrations on cultural aspects such as plucking, maintenance of soil health, application of fertiliser, etc.
are undertaken by the management team on a regular basis. Additionally, the factory supplies input materials to small holders such as directly-sourced fertiliser from the manufacturers to ensure quality.
This symbiotic relationship has resulted in the factory consistently paying the small holders attractive green leaf rates which currently is in excess of Rs. 65 per kg.
The factory has also embarked on a pioneering effort in assisting 25 small holder growers to increase the productivity of their lands by a well-defined programme of replanting.  
Whilst the growers are in receipt of state subsidies for replanting, the factory also provides financial assistance to develop their lands.
The Hingalgoda selling mark commands premium prices at the Colombo Tea Auctions and has received many awards over the years for manufacturing top quality CTC teas.  The CTC teas in particular are well received by the tea buyers, regularly registering top prices at the weekly Colombo auctions.
The factory is managed by Dulip Karunadasa who is ably assisted by the staff and workers. Subsequent to the awards ceremony, a seminar was conducted at the factory where this achievement was shared with the Tea Small Holders, workers, and staff who have equal ownership in the success of Hingalgoda Tea Factory.