Tea under threat in Sri Lanka - 1st October 2021

Sri Lanka's tea farmers are confronting a serious challenge. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is keen for the country to grow only organic food and is preventing farmers from using chemical fertilisers. The farmers believe crops could fail because of the government's policy. Rice, cinnamon and pepper growers are all in the same situation.

Herman Gunaratne, an expert tea maker, was initially advising the president. He now worries that tea production will fall dramatically.

Herman Gunaratne: "It is the urea and the nitrogen content that forces the growth of the tea bud and of the green leaf. Without it you can, you can expect a decline in production by as much as 50%."

The Sri Lankan economy is in trouble. Previous economic growth ended with the Coronavirus pandemic, and last year, the economy shrunk by three percent, while unemployment has risen.

The government has now stopped importing fertilisers and chemicals used in non-organic farming. Ending the use of chemical fertilisers will mean a fall in tea production. This will only make the economic situation worse, as Gunaratne explains.

Herman Gunaratne: "So it is going to number one, make a big dent in the foreign exchange earnings of the country. Number two, it is going to render a great part of our population unemployed and number three and more importantly, we are going to lose the global image that we had for Ceylon Tea."

After arguing against the President's organic farming policy, Gunaratne no longer advises the government. He is still very concerned for the future. Tea production generates over $1.25 billion for the country. And Gunaratne believes the amount of tea grown could drop by 50 percent.

Herman Gunaratne: "We are not going to get 50% higher prices. And there is an extremely limited market for organic tea in the world. There is no way in which it can compensate for the decline in crop."