For the first time in the world the Tea Research Institute (TRI) Thalawakelle, one of the oldest research institutes on tea, has produced an alcoholic ‘tea wine’ targeting the global market.
TRI's Deputy Director, Research (Production) and Nematologist Dr Keerthi M Mohotti said research and development in this regard was carried out by the institute for the past two years. “We are now awaiting a global patent and will also tie up with a private sector company to market this globally,”he said
They said that since its inception in 1925, the TRI has been the only national body in Sri Lanka for generating and disseminating new technologies related to tea cultivation and processing.
“The TRI has always been the driving force behind the numerous successes achieved towards development of the Sri Lankan tea industry over the years and has introduced several novel technologies for tea.”
Dr Mohotti said that the tea was originally planted from seeds and it took a long time for the tree to come into the plucking stage. “Over the years R&D was carried out to move from seeds to tea branches to have more plants and quicker plucking.” They said that now the TRI has research and introduced a new variety which could withstand even the high drought.
Asked as to why the yield per acre in Sri Lanka is less than some of the other tea producing countries Mohotti said that one reason is the Sri Lankan climate. “It must be also stated that while Sri Lanka adopted good practices when it comes to plucking and uses only plucks fewer leaves in comparison to other countries.”
It was as far back as the year 1824 in which the British brought a tea plant from China to Ceylon (as Sri Lanka was known at the time). It was planted in the Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya and is considered to have been the first non-commercial tea plant in Sri Lanka.
After nearly two decades in 1867, James Taylor, Scottish by origin, planted 19 acres of tea in the city of Kandy in Ceylon, at the Loolecondra Estate as the first commercial tea plantation. The eventual sale of Loolecondra teas resulted in 1872, in Kandy and the first tea consignment to London in 1873. These pioneering efforts were done by trial and error and improved over the years via the introduction and improvement of tea processing machines and methods, by different individuals and companies.
R G Coombe is considered as the pioneer to put forward this concept through the Planters’ Association of Ceylon. The institute had its early beginnings in Kandy which was later moved to Nuwara Eliya. In December 1929, the Institute was transferred to the present location, at St. Coombs Estate in Thalawakelle.
In the meanwhile, the institute was able to publish the first local scientific journal on tea research, the Tea Quarterly, in 1928.
“One of the main reasons behind creating the TRI was to see that a repeat of the coffee blight that killed the entire plantation in the hill country would not come the tea industry's way as well. TRI was taken over by the government in 1970s and then it opened several regional institutions as well. They said that the Tea Wine
would be available in the global market by the end of the year and this ‘find’ was well commended by Plantation Industries Minister Naveen Dissanayake. He said that in addition to this Tea wine they have also designed several new high yielding varieties which use less manure. Hettiarchchci said that most tea producing countries are coming up in a big way, which could pose a major threat to Sri Lanka's tea industry in the future.
Dr Mohotti said that in addition day to day research is being carried out to improve the quality of tea and also plantations.
They said that there is a huge brain drain in the TRI since facilities for staff is less. “This is very evident when employees' children grow up and they don’t have access to quality private education even in Nuwara Eliya.
“Then the families are separated and this forces the employee to find employment elsewhere.”
Meanwhile President Maithripala Sirisena who visited the TRI to mark 150 years of Sri Lanka's tea industry and the 92 years of Tea Research Institute in Thalawakelle said his government will allocate more funds for research and development in all areas including agriculture.
The President said the government is committed to providing the resources required for the development of the tea industry.
Appreciating the 92 years of service rendered to the nation by the Tea Research Institute, the President said a proposal will be tabled before the Cabinet to make all employees of the Institute permanent.
President Sirisena said the government is also planning several welfare programs to improve the living standards of estate employees. At the event, the President recognized the employees at the TRI who worked with dedication and provided an outstanding service to the tea industry.
President Sirisena also introduced for the first time four drought-resistant varieties of tea of the TRI 5000 series developed by the Tea Research Institute's long-term research arm and planted a sapling of one of them at the TRI premises.
The President also opened the Information Center of the Tea Research Institute and launched a SMS service for the clients of the TRI.
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