The Hon. Lal Premanath

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, as we debate the Head of Expenditure of the Ministry of Plantations and Community Infrastructure, with the brief time available, I wish to speak on tea, a sector representing a vast area.

¶ 02 The districts I represent or adjoin—Matara, Galle, and Ratnapura—are three of the country’s main tea-producing districts. We live at the heart of it. A large population of estate workers—over half a million—live around these districts. We understand their hardships. Throughout history, we have stood with those engaged in tea, fighting on every front. Contrary to what some in the Opposition say, we did not contribute to this Budget in ignorance. Our proposals stem from experience.

¶ 03 Speaking of tea, we identified key issues through our struggles alongside the people. The primary cause has been decisions of successive rulers who forgot both the tea industry and the roughly three million people directly or indirectly dependent on it, making budgetary choices for narrow personal and political ends, handouts during election times, and so forth, which brought the industry down.

¶ 04 First, labour. There is a severe labour shortage, increasing production costs and the cost per kilogram of made tea. We sought to design a budget with solutions.

¶ 05 Second, fertilizer and other agrochemicals. For a long time the tea grower struggled without standards; substandard fertilizer became common. Also, certain ill-advised decisions—like the unilateral organic-fertilizer push to fulfil one person’s dream—devastated a commercial crop like tea.

¶ 06 Climatic extremes have also impacted tea. Yet, never have contingency funds been effectively used to protect the grower. We must manage these properly.

¶ 07 This is a commercial crop, with most production exported. We must therefore understand global markets. Historically, allocations through the Tea Board for various activities were not effectively executed by those in charge. Some officials caused wastage. Across the Tea Board, Smallholder Tea Development Authority, and Tea Research Institute, many capable officers lacked facilities and recognition, pushing scientists and researchers away. This Budget allocates significant funds to research.

¶ 08 We also neglected the “Ceylon Tea” brand built over 153 years. Past leaders failed to modernize marketing using new technology. Due to their shortsighted decisions, we struggle to bring in dollars by selling a beverage the world accepts, second only to water.

¶ 09 Factories need facilities and modernization; many still run in outdated ways. Our budget decisions aim to address these.

¶ 10 Replanting is another critical issue. Proper replanting and infilling have not been done. In some areas, growers waited for plants, fertilizer, and support, but did not receive them. Hence, funds are allocated considering all stages—from planting to exporting made tea.