Category: Agriculture

Dec 17, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan tea growers said their harvests had halved with the collapse in prices at the Colombo auctions, affecting the livelihoods of thousands of small farmers and the local economy. To receive instant alerts from LBO on your Dialog mobile type ‘lbo’ and send to 678 Chandrasena Wijesinghe, convenor of […]

Dec 10, 2008 (LBO) – Prices of Sri Lanka’s low grown teas recovered slightly at this week’s auction after plunging for several weeks but it was not clear if they had bottomed out. Teas from the high and mid-grown elevations produced mainly by listed regional plantations companies fell mainly because of lower quality. Forbes & […]

Dec 05, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tea production and exports in October fell after prices crashed although export earnings in the first 10 months have exceeded a billion dollars, brokers said. To receive instant alerts from LBO on your Dialog mobile type ‘lbo’ and send to 678 Tea exports in October had dropped to […]

Dec 04, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has raised import duty on edible oil by changing it from a 28 percent rate to a specific levy of 40 rupees a kilo, in a bid to keep domestic coconut oil prices high, a government minister said.The Cabinet had also given approval to the ministry of finance […]

Dec 03, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan coconut-based industries have been badly affected by the decreasing supply of nuts because of low yields and poor prices, plantations industries minister D M Jayaratne said. “Almost stagnant or very marginal increase in coconut yield and decreasing supply of raw material to the industries has become a very […]

Nov 28, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan tea prices at the Colombo auction fell sharply this week with large quantities unsold indicating the crisis caused by the sudden collapse in demand last month was continuing. To receive instant alerts from LBO on your Dialog mobile type ‘lbo’ and send to 678 Brokers said that prices […]

Nov 26, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tea small holders are pressing for government support to save the industry from ruin after demand dropped and prices crashed at auctions in Colombo.To receive instant alerts from LBO on your Dialog mobile type ‘lbo’ and send to 678 Chandrasena Wijesinghe, convenor of the Joint Federation of Tea […]

Nov 20, 2008 (LBO) – The quality of black tea production in Sri Lanka has improved while quantities are coming down, as producers tightened standards in response to the crisis caused by the collapse in prices, brokers said. To receive instant alerts from LBO on your Dialog mobile type ‘lbo’ and send to 678 “Reduced […]

SAO PAULO, November 17, 2008 (AFP) – The cost of slave labor in sugar cane fields should not be overlooked when promoting the virtues of ethanol, the Roman Catholic Church said Monday, as an international conference on biofuel got under way in Brazil. “Without taking such (human) cost into account, you cannot promote the relative […]

November 15, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka, a key exporter of tea, has appealed to “friendly countries” to buy more of the brew to help the island weather the global financial crisis, officials said Saturday.The foreign ministry said ambassadors and envoys of Egypt, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait and Qatar were briefed about Sri […]

Nov 14, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tea market is continuing its recovery with demand picking up at this week’s auction, brokers said. Prices of low grown teas, the hardest hit when demand and prices collapsed last month causing severe cash flow problems for the trade, improved at this week’s sale. “Demand for low grown […]

Nov 13, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tea trade has warned that the crisis caused by the sudden collapse in demand and prices was not over yet and that it was bracing itself for further trouble.The Colombo Tea Traders™ Association (CTTA) said in a statement that cash flow problems remained throughout the supply chain, with […]