Tea production in Sri Lanka Facts for Kids

Tea plantation (Dambatenne estates) at about 1800 m above sea level in Haputale, Hill Country

Sri Lanka (formerly called Ceylon) has a climate and varied elevation that allows for the production of both Camellia sinensis var. assamica and Camellia sinensis var. sinensis, with the assamica varietal holding the majority of production. Tea production is one of the main sources of foreign exchange for Sri Lanka, and accounts for 2% of GDP, contributing over US$1.3 billion in 2021 to the economy of Sri Lanka. It employs, directly or indirectly, over 1 million people, and in 1995 directly employed 215,338 on tea plantations and estates. In addition, tea planting by smallholders is the source of employment for thousands whilst it is also the main form of livelihoods for tens of thousands of families. Sri Lanka is the world's fourth-largest producer of tea. In 1995, it was the world's leading exporter of tea (rather than producer), with 23% of the total world export, and Sri Lanka ranked second on tea export earnings in 2020 after China. The highest production of 340 million kg was recorded in 2013, while the production in 2014 was slightly reduced to 338 million kg.

The humidity, cool temperatures, and rainfall of the country's central highlands provide a climate that favors the production of high-quality tea. On the other hand, tea produced in low-elevation areas such as Matara, Galle and Ratanapura districts with high rainfall and warm temperature has high level of astringent properties. The tea biomass production itself is higher in low-elevation areas. Such tea is popular in the Middle East. Sri Lanka produces mostly orthodox black teas but also produces CTC, white and green teas. The two types of green tea produced are the gunpowder type and sencha. The industry was introduced to the country in 1867 by James Taylor, a British planter who arrived in 1852. Tea planting under smallholder conditions has become popular in the 1970s. Most of Sri Lanka's export market is in the Middle East and Europe but there are also plenty of bidders worldwide for its speciality high-country grown Nuwara Eliya teas.

History
Branding
Research
- The Tea Research Institute
Sustainability standards and certifications
Gallery
See also

History

Old Ceylon tea tin

The total population of Sri Lanka according to the census of 1871 was 2,584,780. The 1871 demographic distribution and population in the plantation areas is given below:

Kandy District, the heartland of tea production in Sri Lanka

1871 demographic distribution
District	Total population	No. of estates	Estate population	% of population on estates
Kandy District	258,432	625	81,476	31.53
Badulla District	129,000	130	15,555	12.06
Matale District	71,724	111	13,052	18.2
Kegalle District	105,287	40	3,790	3.6
Sabaragamuwa	92,277	37	3,227	3.5
Nuwara Eliya District	36,184	21	308	0.85
Kurunegala District	207,885	21	2,393	1.15
Matara District	143,379	11	1,072	0.75
Total	1,044,168	996	123,654	11.84

Growth and history of commercial production

Henry Randolph Trafford, one of the pioneers of tea cultivation in Ceylon in the 1880s

Registered tea production by elevation

Registered tea production in hectares and total square miles by elevation category in Sri Lanka, 1959–2000:

Year	High altitude hectares	Medium altitude hectares	Low altitude hectares	Total hectares	Total square miles
1959	74,581	66,711	46,101	187,393	723.5
1960	79,586	69,482	48,113	197,181	761.3
1961	76,557	97,521	63,644	237,722	917.8
1962	76,707	97,857	64,661	239,225	923.7
1963	76,157	95,691	65,862	237,710	917.8
1964	81,538	92,281	65,759	239,578	925.0
1965	87,345	92,806	60,365	240,516	928.6
1966	87,514	93,305	60,563	241,382	932.0
1967	87,520	93,872	60,945	242,337	935.7
1968	81,144	99,359	61,292	241,795	933.6
1969	81,092	98,675	61,616	241,383	932.0
1970	77,549	98,624	65,625	241,798	933.6
1971	77,936	98,624	65,625	242,185	935.1

Year	High altitude hectares	Medium altitude hectares	Low altitude hectares	Total hectares	Total square miles
1972	77,639	98,252	65,968	241,859	933.8
1973	77,793	98,165	66,343	242,301	935.5
1974	77,693	97,875	66,622	242,190	935.1
1975	79,337	98,446	64,099	241,882	933.9
1976	79,877	94,338	66,363	240,578	928.9
1977	79,653	94,835	67,523	242,011	934.4
1978	79,628	95,591	68,023	243,242	939.2
1979	78,614	97,084	68,401	244,099	942.5
1980	78,786	96,950	68,969	244,705	944.8
1981	78,621	96,853	69,444	244,918	945.6
1982	77,769	96,644	67,728	242,141	934.9
1983	71,959	90,272	67,834	230,065	888.3
1984	74,157	90,203	63,514	227,874	879.8

Year	High altitude hectares	Medium altitude hectares	Low altitude hectares	Total hectares	Total square miles
1985	74,706	89,175	67,769	231,650	894.4
1986	73,206	85,216	64,483	222,905	860.6
1987	72,773	84,445	64,280	221,498	855.2
1988	72,901	84,227	64,555	221,683	855.9
1989	73,110	84,062	64,938	222,110	857.6
1990	73,138	83,223	65,397	221,758	856.2
1991	73,331	82,467	65,893	221,691	856.0
1992	74,141	85,510	62,185	221,836	856.5
1994	51,443	56,155	79,711	187,309	723.2
1995	51,443	56,155	79,711	187,309	723.2
1996	52,272	56,863	79,836	188,971	729.6
1997	51,444	58,155	79,711	189,310	730.9
1998	51,444	58,155	79,711	189,310	730.9
2000	52,272	56,863	79,836	188,971	729.6

Main destination of Sri Lankan teas

The most important foreign markets for Sri Lankan tea are the former Soviet bloc countries of the CIS, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, UK, Egypt, Libya and Japan.

The most important foreign markets for Sri Lankan tea are as follows, in terms of millions of kilograms and millions of pounds imported. The figures were recorded in 2000:

Sacks of tea ready to be shipped

Total Exports
Country	Million kilograms	Million pounds	Percent of total
CIS Countries	57.6	127.0	20
UAE	48.1	106.0	16.7
Russia	46.1	101.6	16.01
Syria	21.5	47.4	7.47
Turkey	20.3	44.8	7.05
Iran	12.5	27.6	4.34
Saudi Arabia	11.4	25.1	3.96
Iraq	11.1	24.5	3.85
UK	10.2	22.5	3.54
Egypt	10.1	22.3	3.51
Libya	10.0	22.0	3.47
Japan	8.3	18.3	2.88
Germany	5.0	11.0	1.74
Others	23.7	52.2	8.23
Total	288	634.9	100

Revenue Statistics

Year	Total Export Revenue of Tea (in million. US$)
2019	$1,346
2020	$1,241
2021	$1,324

Branding

The Lion Logo of Ceylon tea

The Sri Lanka Tea Board is the legal proprietor of the lion logo of Ceylon tea. The logo has been registered as a trademark in many countries. In order to appear the Lion logo on a tea pack, it must meet four criteria.

The Lion Logo can only be used on consumer packs of Ceylon tea.
The packs must contain 100 percent of pure Ceylon tea.
The packaging should be done only in Sri Lanka.
The brands which employ the Lion logo should meet the quality standards set by the Sri Lanka Tea Board.

The logo is considered to be a "known sign of a high quality" around the world. The Sri Lanka Tea board signed an agreement to sponsor Sri Lanka national cricket team and Sri Lanka women's national cricket team in their overseas tours for US$4 million for three years.

Research

The Tea Research Institute

The Tea Research Ordinance was enacted by Parliament in 1925 and the Tea Research Institute (TRI) was founded. It is at present the only national body in the country that generates and disseminates new research and technology related to the processing and cultivation of tea.

Beginning in the early 1970s, two researchers from the National Institute of Dental Research in Bethesda, Maryland, USA conducted a series of research projects in which they arranged a longitudinal study group of a large number of Tamil tea labourers who worked at the Dunsinane and Harrow Tea Estates, 80 kilometres (50 mi) from Kandy. This landmark study was possible because the population of tea labourers were known to have never employed any conventional oral hygiene measures, thereby providing some insight into the natural history of periodontal disease in man.

Sustainability standards and certifications

There are a number of organisations, both international and local, that promote and enforce sustainability standards and certifications pertaining to tea in Sri Lanka.

Among the international organisations that operate within Sri Lanka are Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, UTZ Certified and Ethical Tea Partnership. The Small Organic Farmers’ Association (SOFA) is a local organisation dedicated to organic farming.