Hon. K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, tea is a key plantation crop earning foreign exchange. About 75% of tea production comes from smallholders. Currently, smallholders face numerous issues. Due to global conflicts and energy issues, they are under pressure. Green leaf prices fell by around 16%-20% in recent months, and some export-related issues arose.

¶ 02 In 2025, we achieved record export earnings: after 2017, the highest tea export earnings were in 2025, at USD 1,507 million. Protecting the tea industry is a Government responsibility. Even before the special package announced by the President, we had decided to provide fertiliser subsidies to smallholders via a QR code, a decision taken last year. Through the QR code, 187,759 growers have received fertiliser assistance, totalling 21,117.7 metric tonnes.

¶ 03 When we took office in 2024, only 84,472 smallholders had received fertiliser assistance the previous year; we have expanded that to over 187,000. Additionally, given current difficulties, the Cabinet led by the President decided to grant a special one-time relief: previously, the Government provided Rs. 4,000 per 50 kg bag of fertiliser, with the remainder borne by the grower, using a ratio-based method. In addition to that Rs. 4,000, we will provide a new one-time support of Rs. 5,000 per bag to each grower for one round. The Treasury has allocated Rs. 2,500 million (Rs. 250 crores) for this fertiliser relief to smallholder tea growers.