Ceylon Tea poised for record year
by Shirajiv SIRIMANE
Ceylon Tea is poised for a record year in 2010 with production to
touch 350 metric tons and exports to cross the 320 million kilogramme
mark. Sri Lanka anticipates a record Rs. 15 billion from its tea exports
this year. Sri Lanka earned 1.3 billion dollars on exports in last year.
Tea production in June this year increased 18 percent, 29.5 million
kilogrammes compared to the corresponding month last year.
Chairman, Tea Advisory Committee, Ministry of Industries Rohantha
Athukorala said that following Economic Development Minister Basil
Rajapaksa's visit to Japan, tea exports to Japan will be stepped up. The
Ministry has been directed to take on the responsibility of improving
trade with Japan so that it can be developed to a Free Trade Agreement (FTA)
in the near future."
Overall exports of Ceylon Tea which recorded 26.3 million dollars in
2005 has reached 42.6 million dollars today and is the seventh key
market for Sri Lanka whilst the export of tea bags has virtually doubled
from $5.4 million to 9.5 million in the last couple of years. The
Minister Rishard Bathuideen focusing on the key export product, tea into
the Japanese market held a meeting with the Tea Advisory Committee where
it was identified that it was imperative that we ensure that Ceylon Tea
must be free of any pesticides.
This would enable Sri Lanka to be within the stringent quality
standards demanded by the Japanese market whilst also ensuring that we
make the best of the 'Ceylon Speciality Teas' that was launched recently
in Japan supported strongly by Japanese tea connoisseurs and the
Japanese Tea Association.
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