Sri Lanka (formerly known as Ceylon) has a climate and varied elevations that enable the cultivation of both Camellia sinensis var. assamica and Camellia sinensis var. sinensis, with the assamica varietal accounting for the majority of production. Tea production is one of the main sources of foreign exchange for Sri Lanka, and accounts for 2% of GDP, contributing over US$1.3 billion in 2021 to the economy of Sri Lanka. It employs, directly or indirectly, over 1 million people, and in 1995 directly employed 215,338 on tea plantations and estates. In addition, tea planting by smallholders employs thousands and is the primary livelihood for tens of thousands of families. Sri Lanka is the world's fourth-largest producer of tea. In 1995, it was the world's leading exporter of tea (rather than a producer), accounting for 23% of global exports. Sri Lanka ranked second in tea export earnings in 2020 after China. The highest production of 340 million kg was recorded in 2013, while the production in 2014 was slightly reduced to 338 million kg.Central Bank of Sri Lanka, 2014, Annual Report, http://www.cbsl.gov.lk/pics_n_docs/10_pub/_docs/efr/annual_report/AR2014/English/content.htm India has additionally guaranteed Sri Lanka a shipment of 65,000 metric tons of urea. Sri Lanka's troubled execution of an organic agriculture initiative had pushed the country perilously close to an agricultural crisis. Given the surge in global fertilizer prices, it is improbable that Sri Lanka could procure fertilizer at prevailing market rates.

The humidity, cool temperatures, and rainfall in the country's central highlands create a climate conducive to the production of high-quality tea. On the other hand, tea produced in low-elevation areas such as the Matara, Galle, and Ratnapura districts, with high rainfall and warm temperatures, exhibits high astringency. Tea biomass production is higher in low-elevation areas. Such tea is popular in the Middle East. Sri Lanka produces primarily orthodox black teas, as well as CTC, white, and green teas. The two types of green tea produced are gunpowder and sencha. Tea planting was introduced to the country in 1867 by James Taylor, a British planter who arrived in 1852. The industry grew rapidly following the devastation of the coffee plantations in Ceylon in 1869 by a fungal disease called Hemileia vastatrix, also known as coffee leaf rust. Tea planting under smallholder conditions became popular in the 1970s. Most of Sri Lanka's export market is in the Middle East and Europe, but there are also plenty of bidders worldwide for its specialty high-country-grown Nuwara Eliya teas.

History

The total population of Sri Lanka, according to the 1871 census, was 2,584,780. The 1871 demographic distribution and population in the plantation areas are given below:

+ 1871 demographic distribution District Total population No. of estates Estate population % of population on estates Kandy District 258,432 625 81,476 Badulla District 129,000 130 15,555 Matale District 71,724 111 13,052 Kegalle District 105,287 40 3,790 Sabaragamuwa 92,277 37 3,227 Nuwara Eliya District 36,184 21 308 Kurunegala District 207,885 21 2,393 Matara District 143,379 11 1,072

Growth and history of commercial production

Registered tea production by elevation Registered tea production in hectares and total square miles by elevation category in Sri Lanka, 1959–2000:

Year High altitude hectares Medium altitude hectares Low altitude hectares Total hectares Total square miles 1959 74,581 66,711 46,101 187,393 1960 79,586 69,482 48,113 197,181 1965 87,345 92,806 60,365 240,516 1970 77,549 98,624 65,625 241,798 1975 79,337 98,446 64,099 241,882 1980 78,786 96,950 68,969 244,705 1985 74,706 89,175 67,769 231,650 1990 73,138 83,223 65,397 221,758 1995 51,443 56,155 79,711 187,309 2000 52,272 56,863 79,836 188,971

Main destination of Sri Lankan teas

The most important foreign markets for Sri Lankan tea are the former Soviet bloc countries of the CIS, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, UK, Egypt, Libya and Japan.

The most important foreign markets for Sri Lankan tea are as follows, in terms of millions of kilograms and millions of pounds imported. The figures were recorded in 2000:

+ Total Exports Country Million kilograms Million pounds Total Percent CIS Countries 57.6 UAE 48.1 Russia 46.1 Syria 21.5 Turkey 20.3 Iran 12.5 Saudi Arabia 11.4 Iraq 11.1 UK 10.2 Egypt 10.1 Libya 10.0 Japan 8.3 Germany 5.0 Others 23.7 Total 288

Revenue Statistics

YearTotal Export Revenue of Tea (in million. US$) 2019 $1,346 2020 $1,241 2021 $1,324 2022 $1,258 2023 $1,310 2024 $1,435 2025 $1,510

Branding

The Sri Lanka Tea Board is the legal proprietor of the lion logo of Ceylon tea. The logo has been registered as a trademark in many countries. To appear the Lion logo on a tea pack, it must meet four criteria. The Lion Logo can only be used on consumer packs of Ceylon tea. The packs must contain 100 percent pure Ceylon tea. The packaging should be done only in Sri Lanka. The brands which employ the Lion logo should meet the quality standards set by the Sri Lanka Tea Board.

The logo is widely regarded as a "known sign of high quality" worldwide. The Sri Lanka Tea board signed an agreement to sponsor Sri Lanka national cricket team and Sri Lanka women's national cricket team in their overseas tours for US$4 million for three years.

Research The Tea Research Institute The Tea Research Ordinance was enacted by Parliament in 1925, and the Tea Research Institute (TRI) was founded. It is at present the only national body in the country that generates and disseminates new research and technology related to the processing and cultivation of tea.Who we are , Tea Research Institute – Sri Lanka. Retrieved April 2017

Beginning in the early 1970s, two researchers from the National Institute of Dental Research in Bethesda, Maryland, USA conducted a series of research projects in which they arranged a longitudinal study group of a large number of Tamil tea labourers who worked at the Dunsinane and Harrow Tea Estates, from Kandy. This landmark study was possible because the population of tea labourers was known to have never employed conventional oral hygiene measures, thereby providing insight into the natural history of periodontal disease in humans.Löe, H, et al. Natural history of periodontal disease in humans. J Clin Perio 1986;13:431–440.

Sustainability standards and certifications

Several organisations, both international and local, promote and enforce sustainability standards and certifications for tea in Sri Lanka.

Among the international organisations operating in Sri Lanka are Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, UTZ Certified, and Ethical Tea Partnership. The Small Organic Farmers' Association (SOFA) is a local organisation dedicated to organic farming.

Gallery

See also Akbar Tea Dilmah George Steuart Group (Steuarts Tea, 1835 Steuarts Ceylon) Heladiv Island Tea Loolecondera Mlesna Thomas Lipton Tea production in Azerbaijan Tea production in Bangladesh Tea production in Indonesia Tea production in Nepal Tea production in Kenya Tea production in Uganda Tea production in the United States

References

Further reading

External links

, Official website of the Sri Lanka Tea Board Taylor, Lipton and the Birth of Ceylon Tea