Sri Lankan tea industry has suffered a huge 30% loss of its market share in the Japanese market due to the Glyphosate Episode, said President of the Ceylon Planters’ Society, (CPS) Rushantha Perera.
He was speaking at the CPS 82nd Annual General Meeting at the Hotel Galadari yesterday.
In the recent past adverse weather conditions and shortage had a negative impact on the industry. The ban on planting oil Palm is another blunder brought on by some environmentalists, with no scientific evidence to prove reasons for raising these objections.
“The Government must ensure that there is solid scientific evidence when either banning or introducing any agricultural product or activity.”
He also said that as per the assurance given last year, steps were taken to finalize the issue of increasing the retiring age to 60 years. From 1993 to 2016, after re-privatization the tea crop shows a drop of approximately 58 million kilo grams or 46% and rubber a drop of approximately 14,000 MT equal to 35% drop.
It is also most important that serious thought be given to re-planting at least 3% annually, if crops are to be increased. The answer appears to be mechanization, use of drones, drip irrigation systems and similar processes.
“I was also most concerned to read that the Land Reform Act is to be replaced by new laws, to enable state lands to be released to the open market,” he said.
Under the heading ‘Improvement of Performance of State Plantations’ the Ministry of Public Enterprises Development has introduced proposals, which will result in the closure of 38 estates, in Kandy, Matale and Nuwara Eliya districts.
These estates are to be fragmented and offered to private investors for non-plantation projects, such as tourism, under public/private Management.
The target is 30,000 hectares and once implemented this will result in the closure of many factories and heavy unemployment of workers including planters. At present, workers are given seven perches of land to build houses. When fragmentation starts and factories are closed, the workers will have a house and no job. Because of this fragmentation, environmentalist fear damage to fragile and sensitive eco systems.
There is also the possibility of losing primary forests situated in the JEDB and SLSPC estates, resulting in very adverse results to the catchment areas.
“Another matter of serious concern is the instability of the government where we see existing Ministers and chairmen removed, new Ministers and chairmen appointed and we don’t know with whom to talk, ” he added.
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