The Hon. K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna - Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure
The Minister reported that Sri Lanka received international recognition at a tea auction in Osaka, where New Vithanakanda Tea Factory won a gold award and set a Guinness record with black tea priced at USD 860 per kilo. Responding to Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake, he stated that 662 tea factories are registered and 567 are producing in 2025, and rejected as false a claim that about 225 factories had closed this year. He said only six factories had closed in 2025 while ten previously closed factories had reopened, and added that the Sri Lanka Tea Board, Tea Small Holdings Development Authority and Tea Research Institute are carrying out programmes to support sustainability and productivity.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, before answering, allow me to share an international recognition relevant to our Ministry. Recently, at a world tea auction in Osaka, Japan, we received a special gold award and entered the Guinness records. The New Vithanakanda Tea Factory in the Sabaragamuwa region won the gold, with its black tea fetching the highest price in the world—USD 860 per kilo (about Rs. 250,500). We extend our thanks to the management, the Sri Lanka Tea Board, and the Colombo Tea Traders’ Association.
¶ 02 Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake, the answers to your questions are:
¶ 03 (a) (i) Registered tea factories: 662; Currently producing (2025): 567. By district: - Colombo: Registered 62 / Producing 57 - Galle: 116 / 101 - Hambantota: 1 / 1 - Kalutara: 34 / 29 - Kandy: 88 / 73 - Kegalle: 24 / 18 - Matale: 6 / 6 - Gampola: 96 / 79 - Monaragala: 0 / 0 - Nuwara Eliya: 129 / 116 - Ratnapura: 104 / 86 Total: 662 / 567
¶ 04 (ii) Yes.
¶ 05 (iii) The statement that about 225 factories were closed this year is false. The Chairman later corrected it in a media briefing, acknowledging it as his error.
¶ 06 (iv) As per Sri Lanka Tea Board regional offices, factories closed in 2025: 68. However, I am pleased to state that while 6 closed this year, we have reopened 10 factories that were previously closed. Examples: - Ratnapura: Reopened Mount Factory. - Galle District: Reopened Ratakanda and Biburagala factories. - Matara District: Reopened six—Woodland, Suduganaheena, New Gamini, Thammenna, Three Times, Danlanda. - Gampola: Reopened six—Fernland, Muruthalawa, Pussatenna, Pupurassa, Godapola, Pansaltenna. - Baduraliya: Reopened Nilganaheena.
¶ 07 Closures by year: 2018: 13; 2019: 17; 2020: 20; 2022: 14; 2023: 19; 2024: 17. In 2025 up to now: 6 closed; 10 reopened.
¶ 08 Regarding future security, the Sri Lanka Tea Board, Tea Small Holdings Development Authority, and Tea Research Institute are implementing various projects and programmes for sustainability and productivity; details are tabled.
¶ 09 (b) Not applicable.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Friday, 10 October 2025 ·No. 22640 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna - Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 10 October 2025. No. 22640. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/13872