Govt targets $ 1.5 billion on tea exports

Uditha KUMARASINGHE

Plantation Industries Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe told Parliament yesterday that plans have been drawn up to increase the annual revenue of tea in the global market up to US $ 1.5 billion by the end of this year. The minister said the current annual revenue from tea exports is UD $ 1.3 billion. Responding to an oral question by the UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake, the minister said the country's annual tea production is 331 million kgs while the present annual green leaf yield of tea is 1,603 kgs per hectare.

Minister Samarasinghe said that action has been taken to enhance local tea cultivation.

He said targets have been set by the Minister to produce 335 million kgs tea in 2017, 341 million kgs in 2022, 347 million kgs in 2027 and 350 million kgs in 2030.

The minister said that global tea production was 4,160 million kgs in 2010. The market share of Sri Lanka in the global tea market was 17.3 percent last year. Apart from Sri Lanka, nearly 35 countries are producing tea including India, China, Japan, Iran, Bangladesh, Nepal, Vietnam, Uganda and Malaysia. However, Sri Lanka ranks as the fourth largest tea producer in the world.