Tea production in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka (formerly known as Ceylon) has a climate and varied elevations that enable the cultivation of both Camellia sinensis var. assamica and Camellia sinensis var. sinensis, with the assamica varietal accounting for 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.^[1] 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 employs thousands and is the primary livelihood 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 a producer), accounting for 23% of global exports. Sri Lanka ranked second in tea export earnings in 2020^[2] 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.^[3] India has additionally guaranteed Sri Lanka a shipment of 65,000 metric tons of urea. Sri Lanka's troubled execution of an organic agriculture initiative had pushed the country perilously close to an agricultural crisis. Given the surge in global fertilizer prices, it is improbable that Sri Lanka could procure fertilizer at prevailing market rates.^[4]

The humidity, cool temperatures, and rainfall in the country's central highlands create a climate conducive to the production of high-quality tea. On the other hand, tea produced in low-elevation areas such as the Matara, Galle, and Ratnapura districts, with high rainfall and warm temperatures, exhibits high astringency. Tea biomass production is higher in low-elevation areas. Such tea is popular in the Middle East. Sri Lanka produces primarily orthodox black teas, as well as CTC, white, and green teas. The two types of green tea produced are gunpowder and sencha.^[6] Tea planting was introduced to the country in 1867 by James Taylor, a British planter who arrived in 1852.^{[7][8][9][10][11][12][13]} The industry grew rapidly following the devastation of the coffee plantations in Ceylon in 1869 by a fungal disease called Hemileia vastatrix, also known as coffee leaf rust.^[14][15] Tea planting under smallholder conditions became 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 specialty high-country-grown Nuwara Eliya teas.^[6]