Successive governments have taken ad hoc decisions without seeking the views of plantation stakeholders and these have a major negative impact for the industry, said Planters’ Association Chairman Bhathiya Bulumulla.
He said that these included sudden salary increases, banning of fertilizer imports, glycoside ban and palm oil cultivation ban and several other similar decisions. He said that these damage the smooth flow of over USD 1.2 billion export revenue to the country from tea sector alone and other plantation export income.
“Due to the glycoside ban we have lost the Japanese market. With an immediate halt to use of fertilizer or agro-chemicals, the consensus is that there will be severe crop losses, and as a result, a reduction in export revenues by as early as the end of this year,” he said at a virtual press conference.
At the 167th Annual General Meeting of the Planters’ Association of Ceylon he said that while there were initial concerns that estate communities would be among the most vulnerable due to the C-19 fortunately this was not the case. This was the first-ever Planters’ Association of Ceylon AGM hosted on a virtual platform, given the prevailing pandemic situation.
Over the past year, there have been tremendous achievements made by all RPCs in the face of unprecedented challenges. Just as the industry was dealt a difficult blow with the arbitrary increase of wages through the Wages Board, following the rejection of multiple proposals by RPCs for alternative and more effective wage models.
RPCs are among the world’s leaders in organic tea, rubber and spices. “Sadly, we are not being consulted for our expertise in the subject, and our concerns are not being heard. Expert opinions are being disregarded.”
“Rubber planters have for many months been sounding the alarm over the spread of the fungal infection Pestalotiopsis affecting over 20,000 hectares of Sri Lanka’s rubber cultivations.”
One of the key issues in addressing Pestalotiopsis is the lack of necessary fertiliser and the required agrochemicals.
“On the subject of oil palm too, we have continued to face an uphill battle. RPCs invested Rs. 26 billion towards the expansion of oil palm cultivation up to 12,000 hectares – just over 1% of the total area planted with tea, rubber and coconut, producing nearly 48,000 MT of palm oil annually and saving much needed foreign exchange, by reducing Sri Lanka’s requirements for edible oil imports.
“A Presidential directive has since been issued calling for a complete halt to the expansion of cultivation of this most lucrative crop. To date, there has been no credible scientific rationale provided for this decision.” (SS)
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