Category: Agriculture

The Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has asked Sri Lanka to join India or Kenya, if it plans to study the unique variances between tea growing elevations. Sri Lanka called on the FAO to fund the research project at the Inter-Governmental Group (IGG) meeting on tea earlier this year. Tea industry officials say FAO has […]

The tea plantation industry has identified 20 estate bungalows as potential sites for boutique tourist retreats. Mooted in conjunction with the Sri Lanka Tourist Board, the project is also encouraging other plantation companies to diversify into tourism under an Asian Development Bank project that is looking to spread the risk and increase the profit centres […]

Ceylon Tea Services is calling on the government to support a common brand name for the tea trade, through a package of incentives similar to the early 1980s offer.The Dilmah brand rode off the support given in the 1980s programme, today to become a leading international brand. Company officials say it is still not too […]

Plantation companies are feeling the pinch in profits due to restricted cash flows and high input costs, leaving little to plough back into replanting and development. Most estates have been plagued by high labour costs following a wage increase last June and persistently low prices for tea at the auctions. Costs of production have grown […]

The ultimate goal of being a leading international brand has brought a new entrant to the local tea marketing fraternity – J V Gokal Ceylon, the Indo-Lanka BOI venture of J V Gokal & Company India will commence tea bagging operations in September. Initially packing a country origin tea, the firm will develop a full […]

Despite torrential rains and heavy flooding on some estates, tea crop intakes in April have reached record levels at 29.38 mn kilos. This is 7.8 percent up on last years record figure of 27.27 mn kilos, Asia Siyaka Tea brokers say. All three elevations e improved on last years levels, most significantly the Low Grown […]

Ceylon tea just got better. An industry long built on a tradition of quality, will have its official stamp of approval, when quality standards for made tea are rolled out at factory level. Led by the Tea Association (TASL), a gold, silver and bronze standard have been laid out, that will revamp factories and certify […]

The brands owner Watawala Plantations Ltd., the biggest exporter of Ceylon Tea to Malaysia, has held detailed discussions with Sri Lankas High Commissioner designate to that country and former Mrs. World Rosy Senanayake on this initiative. Plans announced this week by Watawala include the setting up of Zesta shops modeled on the prototype at Colombos […]

Average prices for tea at the Colombo auctions dropped to Rs.145.02 by April from an average of Rs. 156.82 in 2002. Low grown prices lead the drop, affected since February by the US led incursion of Iraq. The tension in the Middle East saw low grown sales average in February drop below the high grown […]

The Colombo bourse reacted positively to deals in the insurance market and increasing tourist arrivals over the last week.Shares in Commercial Bank and DFCC climbed on news that the two were planning a joint bid for a majority stake in Eagle Insurance.The All Share closed at 820.4 points up two point six points from last […]

Brewing through the synergies of John Keells and Elephant House is a ready to drink tea product that could hit the local market in end 2003. Tested and developed under the conglomerates tea marketing arm endash Gordon Frazer & Company, the firm is currently testing its brew, sources close to the firm told Lanka Business […]

The banking sector is willing to prop up the tea industry by lending up to Rs.1.25 billion to buy teas unsold at weekly auctions.The bail out plan was put together by the newly formed Tea Association of Sri Lanka (TASL), who has to float a new independent firm to utilise the loan. The new firm […]