Thousands of jobs at risk By Indika Sri Aravinda The  tea industry, the country’s second largest net foreign exchange earner is facing a potential crisis as a result of the economic sanctions imposed on Iran by the US government, the Sri Lanka Tea Board said. Tea Board Chairperson Janaki Kuruppu

IRIN: Tea in Sri Lanka is one of the country’s biggest cash crops, but families working on tea estates are among the nation’s poorest in terms of earnings as well as nutrition, say experts who back regional approaches to tackle nutrition disparity. One in every five children younger than five is malnourished nationwide and one ...

Reuters: Sri Lanka’s tea production rose 11.7 per cent in November, its first year-on-year rise in eight months, due to better application of fertiliser and agricultural practises, State-run Tea Board data showed on Wednesday. Tea output in November recorded 31.23 million kilogrammes against 27.95 million kg in the same month last year. The output in ...

Top professional Janaki Kuruppu has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tea Board, replacing business leader Susantha Ratnayake. Sources said that Ratnayake, who is also Chairman of premier blue chip John Keells Holdings and main  private sector lobby the Ceylon Chamber

Yet another Committee on Public Enterprise (COPE) report has been tabled in Parliament and media reports indicate that as much as Rs. 19 billion has been mismanaged by the 229 organisations monitored in 16 months, leading one to question: what steps will the Government take to minimise these excesses? If previous COPE reports are any ...

Proposal: 1. Encouraging export industries Devaluation of Sri Lanka Rupee by 3%. Impact: The Sri Lanka Rupee has been appreciating vis-à-vis the competitor countries eroding the competitiveness of our exports. Therefore, the proposed 3% devaluation of the local currency is an encouraging step towards generating more export revenue and maintaining the competitive edge of our ...

Reuters: Sri Lanka’s tea production fell in October for a seventh straight month due to adverse weather and a high base effect, the State-run Tea Board said on Friday. Tea production in October recorded 23.69 million kg against 27.88 million kg in the same month last year. The output in the first 10 months has ...

MJF Group Director Operations Malik J. Fernando has called for a Master Plan for the plantation sector. In a press statement issued this week, Fernando says an industry-wide Master Plan is required for Sri Lanka’s 150-year-old plantation industry to realign itself with internal and external changes and to remain competitive. “We need to develop a ...

Reuters: Sri Lanka’s tea production fell in September for a sixth straight month due to adverse weather in high growing areas, the State-run Tea Board said on Wednesday. Tea production in September recorded 22.93 million kg against 25.61 million kg in the same month last year. The output in the first nine months has slipped ...

Burdened with an overall tea production dip of 400,000 kgs during the period up to August when compared with 2010 and increased wages, plantation companies are facing losses, industry data showed yesterday. Sri Lanka has recorded a lower crop of 23.9 million kgs for August, 2011, which shows a drop of two million kgs over ...

COLOMBO (Reuters): Sri Lanka’s tea production fell in July for a fourth straight month due to adverse weather conditions, the island nation’s state-run tea board said on Thursday. Tea production in July was 11.5 per cent down to 24.2 million kilogrammes (kg) against 27.4 million kg in the same month last year. The output in ...

Tea export earnings increased by 16.1% to US$ 1,375 million last year due to both increased volumes and high prices. Ceylon tea continued to fetch the highest prices in the major auction centres of the world last year mainly due to the fine quality of Ceylon tea and the high international demand for orthodox tea. ...

Colombo (ICRC): The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has purchased 118 tonnes of locally-grown tea in Sri Lanka and shipped it to Jordan and Pakistan for distribution to internally displaced persons (IDPs) and resident populations affected by armed conflict and internal violence. ...