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| Sunday, 11 July 2004 |
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Business |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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How to produce best quality tea? The tea plant was brought to Sri Lanka from Calcutta and was planted at Peradeniya Botanical Gardens in 1839. The first commercial tea planting was undertaken by James Taylor in a 19-acre block at Loolkandura Estate. V. P. Tea planting started in the island in 1940 - 1950, making it possible for the Tea Research Institute (TRI) to harvest more crops utilising modern techniques of planting. The TRI introduced high-yielding cloves according to the V. P.(Vegetative Propogated) System. Plucking: A methodical plucking system will produce good results. Plucking one bed and two leaves is the correct form of plucking leaving the bottom leaf on the stem. The bottom leaf is the fish leaf. The second method is plucking a bud and two leaves with half of the 3rd leaf. Half of the 3rd matured leaf should be discarded. In certain circumstances three tender leaves below the bud can be plucked. Mature bangies pluck and discarded these leaves. Tender bangies must be plucked and used for tea-manufacture. If we also pluck tender leaves we should increase the plucking rounds per month. Normal plucking lasts 4-7 days but if the crop is increased once in 4-7 days plucking days can be reduced to once in 4-5 days. By plucking less days we can harvest good crops and quality, tender leaf. While plucking we should, avoid the leaves below the level and side branches of the bush. All over-grown, unnecessary branches must be destroyed by-hand in every plucking round. A knife should not be used to cut over-grown bushes. Slope: In all the fields bushes should be on equal slopes as unequally spaced bushes are difficult to supervise. If the slopes are not exactly equal, sunlight will not touch the trees. Equal bushes will ease supervisory work. Packing: Plucked leaf should be put into the plucking baskets only and should not be touched with hand or leg. For convenience, plucked leaves are put into empty manure bags but are not good for manufacture. We are not satisfied with the present transport of the tea leaves. When leaves are put into manure bags and labourers sit on them in vehicular transport as the leaves get damaged. As a result, the leaf will not be fit for manufacture. In the packing of tea leaf coir leaf bags with openings are recommended. If the transport of leaf is delayed, plucked leaf should be spread over a coir mat. After arrival of the vehicle the leafs must be put into the coir bags safely without stacking one over the other. The quantity of leaf should not exceed 15 kg in each bag. When these instructions are adhered to tea factories can produce the best quality tea with good flavour and fragrance. The factory officer faces several problems when damaged leaf is brought in. Transporting: In Kenya special lorries are provided for the transport of green-leaf. These vehicles are fitted with hooks attached to the roof on which bags are hung in such a way that the bags do not touch each other. Those lorries transport only a stipulated quantity of green-leaf. If the same procedures are observed in Sri Lanka, high-quality tea can be produced . |
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