The Hon. K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna

¶ 01 Hon. Member, we know the question you raise reflects a public perception. Legally, our Ministry has the relevant statutes to prevent such situations. While there may be such perceptions and alleged occurrences from time to time, we must take certain steps regarding refuse tea produced in Sri Lankan factories. Transportation through legal channels, reprocessing, auctioning as finished tea, and sending remaining purified refuse tea for instant tea production are practices in the country. However, we are planning and paying attention to reducing the amount of refuse tea produced and ensuring quality-standard tea production for export markets and domestic consumption.