Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) are among the world’s leaders in organic tea, rubber and spices. Sadly, they are not being consulted for their expertise in the subject, and their concerns are not being heard, said Planters’ Association of Ceylon Chairman Bhathiya Bulumulla who was re-elected for 2021-2022 at the 167th Annual General Meeting of the Association held virtually on Thursday.
“Expert opinions are being disregarded. There is no getting around the fact that if we continue on the same path the industry and the economy will face the consequences,” Bulumulla said.
Over the past year, there have been tremendous achievements made by all RPCs in the face of unprecedented challenges.
Just as the industry was dealt a difficult blow with the arbitrary increase of wages through the Wages Board, following the rejection of multiple proposals by RPCs for alternative and more effective wage models.
Parallel to these developments Bulumulla said, the most immediate concern last year was the pandemic. With the country going into a lockdown from March 2020, overnight the world famous Colombo tea auctions were transformed from a hybrid tea auction into a fully digital platform, to ensure that the entire tea value chain was able to stay in motion despite restrictions in movement.
While there were initial concerns that estate communities would be among the most vulnerable, fortunately this was not the case. The industry’s highly commendable success in controlling the spread of Covid in the estates was no accident. Rather it was due to the combined efforts of RPCs and their management teams on the ground, working under the strict guidance of public health officials, and supported by the Plantations Human Development Trust (PHDT) and other stakeholders.
Subsequently, each of these stakeholder groups also rallied together to expedite vaccinations to the estate community, with over 93% of workers and non-workers alike having received their first dose of the vaccine, and a further 77% having been fully vaccinated as at the start of September.
This is the level of cooperation, and collaboration that we must maintain to help move our industry towards a much brighter future, the Planters’ Association chief said, adding that the progress was overshadowed by the sudden announcement that some of our industry’s most critical inputs – fertiliser and other agrochemicals – was banned by the Government.
Ideally, this ban should have been carried out in a phased out manner to provide stakeholders with an opportunity to prepare themselves with suitable alternatives recommended by the research institutes.All stakeholders agree that the absence of sustainable and effective solutions on the fundamental issues of plant nutrition, pest and weed control, there will be no future for our industry. At this point, whether they are organic or inorganic is essentially irrelevant.
Every planter, every farmer, every gardener, knows that plants need nutrition in the form of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium – NPK. Without it, yields decline, plants become weaker, and the quality of our end product will be adversely affected. These tea bushes will also be more prone to pests and disease. Ultimately, livelihoods will be compromised. The implications of such a failure have been clearly and painstakingly detailed in private and public forums by the PA, and all other stakeholders from April 2021 to the present day.
The problem is not in organic agriculture itself, but rather, the way in which the transition to organic practices is being managed. In order to increase organic cultivation, all stakeholders need time, resources, and careful guidance. In 2020, Sri Lanka produced 278.5 million kgs of tea, of which 265.6 million kilograms was destined for export markets. Total export earnings from tea amounted to approximately US$ 1.24 billion in 2020 in comparison to US$ 1.35 billion in 2019, US$ 1.43 billion in 2018. Conversely, in the first seven months of this year, Sri Lanka has recorded export earnings of USD 766 million from tea, an increase of 9% compared with the corresponding period of 2020.
“As before, the Planters’ Association of Ceylon maintains our position that we are not opposed to a gradual, and carefully planned expansion of organic agriculture in Sri Lanka. All that we ask is that such decisions be based on credible science and that they factor in market realities,” said Bulumulla.