Sri Lankan tea should regain its lost No. 1 slot as the world’s best - Mahinda Samarasinghe
by Steve A. Morrell
September 4 2010

Ceylon Tea is no more the world product leader. Our task is to see that it gets back its prestige as being the best in the world. It was at the top. But now others have pushed us back. Our job is to ensure we are back on top , says Plantation Industries Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe.

Addressing a well attended audience of Planters and Regional Plantation Company top management personnel as the chief guest at the Ceylon Planters’ Society (CPS) Annual General Meeting in Colombo on Friday, he noted that the Sri Lanka crop, now languishing at around 310 million kilos annually, has to move up.

The target year for crop realization of approximately 350 million kilos is mapped for 2016. By that time tea should earn about 5 billion dollars in foreign exchange earnings annually.

The Minister also expressed disappointment that some Plantation Companies had not paid their lease payments . These Companies had also not declared dividends. But, they exacted their management fees. With minus quotient such as that described, he said the Treasury refused to assist the sector because of their non – performance. There would not arise possibilities that the Plantation sector would again be taken over by the Government.

‘The Government does not have the commercial acumen to manage businesses. But, there could always be possibilities for joint ventures. He conceded the private sector being the engine of growth had to have support but they had to establish credibility to establish an image of commitment and sincerity in what they do.

President, CPS, Sanjay Dissanayake in his review said production levels were sustained by the Small holder sector . He also conceded that although crop levels had dropped 9.1 %, satisfactory prices continued to buoy the industry. He also made the point it was time new planting be undertaken to ensure production levels are parallel with other Tea producing countries.

He had salutary remarks for rubber and coconut but cautioned continuous investment was essential for the progress of these two crops. He also proposed 100,000 acres of new rubber in Moneragala.

Reverting to Dissanayake’s review, he said tea replanting should be increased to 3 % of each estate’s extent each year. Infusion of new capital was necessary for such realization.

Minister Samarasinghe’s remarks also included areas for reply to Dissanayake’s review. One such was the extent for proposed new rubber; he said he did not know from where this figure of 100,000 acres originated, but the reality was they had just managed to ensure new planting of only 5000 acres. "There was much work to be done".

Cost of Production for Tea, Minister Samarasinghe said, was high. – in fact the highest in the world. To be competitive, it was essential production should move up. He also proposed innovative ideas the private sector could work on. One being Tea houses in major Tea buying countries for instance, Egypt, a market we lost, North Africa, and if we were to also move into the US market we would need to project the health properties of Tea . Additionally he said marketing for tea to China as well should be considered positively.

It should not be glossed over that Sri Lanka could in future be the Global Tea hub, he stressed. We were there. There is no reason why we could not resume that position again".

Source: TheIsland.lk http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=5984

Since no expert has advised you all I can suggest is that you contact the appropriate Government department, although which that will be I cannot say. Ministry of Justice? The Government Trustee? Try a search under Sri Lanka Government.
All the best,
Ian.
My fee is half the proceeds 

Hello Alan,
Unfortunately, the answers to all but questions are variable according to circumstances. However, I will illustrate this in my answers.
1 & 2. The assistant was called sinna dorai: "sinna" being the Tamil for small (and "periya" being the Tamil name for big.) By the way, we took "dorai" to mean master but I cannot vouch for the correctness of that assumption.
3. Age did not come into it as planters were taken on at various ages and whether the planter qualified for overseas furlough - in later circumstances the accurate term to use - depended on one or more of the following depending on the Company and/or Agency employing him:
3 (a) Whether he was a national or non-national. In some companies this did not matter, as in the case of The Ceylon Tea Plantations Co., Ltd. and its sister company.
3 (b)  Whether the planter served in the low-country or up-country. For instance, in the CTP, in the 1950s  it was 6 months every 5 years if the former and 8 months every 6 years if the latter. This changed, one assumes, after air travel became commonplace, to 6 months every 4 years and then two months every 4 years if i remember correctly. There were many adjustments up to the time I left in 1969. Added to all this was the barrier put in place by the Government, which was short of foreign exchange, on nationals who qualified for overseas leave.
3 (c) I believe i am correct in saying that, in some companies or agencies, ad hoc decisions were made in regard to individual nationals who were felt to have earned such leave.
4. I seem to recall this being the case in some companies in the early fifties.
5. Generally speaking, I believe it was the owners agent but I am aware, as stated in my monograph here, that, when The CTP and the CPTE were given to Geo. Steuart & Co. to manage certain conditions were stipulated that made a determination in this regard impossible.

Feel free to ask more questions if this reply has created confusion!

Grateful for answers to the following pretty basic questions:

If the superintendent of an estate was known as the periya dorai, was an assistant known simply as a dorai?

What are the exact translations of the two words?

How old was an assistant when he went on his first Home leave?

Is it true that assistants were not encouraged to marry before they went on their first home leave?

In terms of status, who was higher, an estate superintendent or  the owner's agent?

Many thanks

Rs 1 billion for tea marketing, re-planting mandatory, and expansion of plantations
New regulations lined up for the plantation sector
By Dilshani Samaraweera
29 August 2010

A string of new regulations, including regulations to make tea re-planting mandatory and to set up a marketing system for Ceylon Tea, are lined up for the plantation sector, the Minister of Plantation Industries, Mahinda Samarasinghe, announced last week at the Annual General Meeting of the Planters’ Association of Ceylon in Colombo. The government is also offering incentives to expand coconut, rubber and oil palm cultivation.

New regulations are to come into force from November 1, to develop an international marketing strategy for Ceylon Tea. The marketing drive will be backed by a budget of Rs 1 billion per year, over a period of five years. “We have reached an agreement with exporters and we are formulating regulations that will come into practice from November 1, to get Rs 1 billion per year, for five years, for a dynamic marketing strategy for Ceylon Tea,” Minister Samarasinghe told plantation sector representatives.

Re-planting laws
Another set of regulations will make re-planting compulsory in the tea sector. Due to the high cost, re-planting in Sri Lanka’s tea plantations is below the required level. This, in turn, is lowering the quality of Ceylon Tea.

“Replanting is an absolute pre-requisite for the tea industry and also infilling. I am in the process of framing regulations that will make 2% - 3% of re-planting compulsory. Without this, we can kiss the good name of Ceylon Tea goodbye in a few years. So I will not compromise on the re-planting and infilling,” said the Minister. The Minister told the Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) that investments in re-planting will also help with extending their lease agreement with the government.

“Re-planting and infilling are important to extend your lease agreements as well. The plantations are still owned by the people. You are managing it. But while you are making your profits there must be an investment in the plantations as well, so that at some point, when they are handed back to the people of this country, they are in productive form. They can’t be rundown when you hand them back,” the Minister told the plantation industry gathering.

With re-planting laws taking root, the Plantation Ministry is considering a concessionary loan scheme to help RPCs finance the re-planting. The Ministry is also developing a subsidy scheme for small holders and is looking into interim income generation schemes for smallholders.

Growing plantations
On the production side, the government is pushing rubber and coconut cultivation into the war-recovering North, and is also targeting increased oil palm extent. Oil palm is now slowly edging its way into Sri Lanka’s traditional tea, rubber and coconut plantation sector, with some plantation companies allocating a few acres for the newcomer. However, now, the government has also taken an interest in the new crop because of its higher income generating possibilities and because of the growing consumer demand for edible oils. The government has already laid the groundwork for oil palm cultivation and is urging RPCs to get into the business.

“I am encouraging RPCs to go into oil palm. We will facilitate you. We have identified 4,500 hectares as suitable and more lands will be identified. We have already started a special ‘oil palm unit’ at the Coconut Research Institute as well. So now you have scientists to support you. We are also getting ready to start our own seed nurseries. Until then, we will bring the seed from Indonesia,” said Minister Samarasinghe.

Coconut cultivation is also earmarked for expansion, to feed growing domestic demand. As much as 70% of Sri Lankan coconuts are consumed by households. This domestic appetite for coconut is pushing up prices of coconuts and coconut oil. The supply gap is also helping imported products, such as imported palm oil, capture bigger chunks of the domestic market. So the government is trying to get plantation companies to start coconut cultivation in the North.

“We have identified about 100,000 acres in the North, in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu, ideal for coconut. The war has destroyed the trees but the ground is ideal. We urge the private sector to look into this,” said Mr Samarasinghe.

Rubber lands too, are to stretch North and into other parts of the country. “The Rubber Research Institute has identified areas in the North, like Vavuniya, that are suitable for rubber cultivation. Rubber cultivation in places like Moneragala will also be fast tracked and other suitable lands for rubber will also be made available for you,” said the Minister.

With many other new initiatives underway targeting the plantation sector, the Minister called on the private sector to participate and to support the government in its development drive.

Source: SundayTimes.lk http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100829/BusinessTimes/bt29.html

The Forres  PD's bungalow was situated some 100 metres down a steep slope below one of the few, sharp, hairpin bends on the road to the Moray estate SD's division and bungalow.
On one occasion in about 1961 the Moray SD and his wife, long time friends of mine, had had dinner with us on Forres. As was to be expected, the Moray SD got considerably inebriated.
Not long afterwards, though after we had retired to bed, our bungalow watcher knocked on our window to announce that the Moray Dorai was having trouble negotiating the bend above the bungalow and could roll down into the bungalow. My recollection is that I had a good chuckle and said, 'Everything will be alright; just keep watch and let me know if anything happens.' So much for good friends!
Normally, to reach the bend in question would have taken just a few minutes so something, apart from the change of drivers from one inebriated to one almost completely inexperienced, had taken place after they left the Forres bungalow.

Pure Ceylon Tea: Rs 5 billion promotion
Gayan Kanchana
23 august 2010

The Government will provide Rs 5 billion to promote ‘Pure Ceylon Tea’ in the international market in the next five years. This program will be implemented from November 1 this year. Each year Rs 1 billion will be provided for the project.

“The main purpose of this program is to promote value added and finest Ceylon tea products to the world market,” Plantation Industries Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said.


Tea, rubber and coconut continue to perform well.

He was speaking at the 156th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Planters’ Association of Ceylon (PA) held in Colombo last week.

“Replanting is an absolute requisite for the survival of the industry. Motivating, generating more income and giving proper social status to estate workers will increase the efficiency in the industry,” the Minister said.

Past Chairman of the Association, G.D.V. Perera said they have made strong representations at various fora. “The Presidential Task Force, Treasury, our Ministry, the Chambers and Departments and many other institutions were not spared in our toil to appeal for the resuscitation of the ‘status quo’ that prevailed a few years ago where we were in the zero rated category on VAT, as indirect exporters in the case of tea,” he said. “This was unfortunately withdrawn from us. However, it was afforded to certain other sectors that were earlier not in that category,” he said.

He appealed for the full and proper disbursement of the Cess fund required for the development activities that would enhance performance and sustenance of the plantation industry.

In the case of rubber, the recent statistics show a good increase in price although currently inclement weather has reduced that number of tapping days.

Despite the problems, rubber witnessed an increase of 8 million kilograms in 2009 to record a total crop of 137 m kilograms. The national average yield grew by 4 percent to record a yield of 1,437 kilograms per hectare. Auction prices continued to remain rather buoyant. The value addition in natural rubber in Sri Lanka is a success story.

More encouragement should be given to add value to the Crepe Rubber which is exclusively produced by Sri Lanka and is known as the ‘Rolls Royce’ of natural rubber.

“The research institutes of tea, rubber and coconut and other crops continue to do their best when one takes into account limited funds available for research and development activities,” Perera said.

Source: DailyNews.lk http://www.dailynews.lk/2010/08/23/bus01.asp

Record price for Arbour Valley
19 August 2010

Arbour Valley tea factory in Beralapanathara, Matara established a new all time record price of Rs 550 for the Low Grown OPA grade at this week's tea auction.

The buyer of this tea was Imperial Teas who is one of the top ten exporters of Ceylon Tea, whilst Lanka Commodity Brokers Ltd handled the sale of this tea.

Arbour Valley has carved out a reputation for producing some of the finest Low Grown teas, and their teas are regularly supported by the leading exporters for the top-end blends. This Estate is owned and managed by Avantha Ratnayake, who is a third generation proprietary planter hailing from the southern province.

Source: DailyNews.lk http://www.dailynews.lk/2010/08/19/bus08.asp

Scientists discover how polyphenols in green tea may protect health of diabetics
17 August 2010

(NaturalNews) Having a cup of tea involves a lot more than meets the eye -- and the taste buds. It turns out that many varieties of teas contain phytochemicals loaded with a host of health benefits. For example, as NaturalNews has previously reported, green tea in particular may help prevent and treat osteoporosis (http://www.naturalnews.com/027194_g...) and research has shown it could fight lung cancer, too (http://www.naturalnews.com/028877_l...). Now scientists have documented how a catechin (a polyphenol plant compound) in green tea known as epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) may protect people with high-glucose conditions such as diabetes and the pre-diabetic metabolic syndrome from heart disease and other medical ills.

Polyphenols, including EGCG, comprise around 30% of the dry leaf weight of green tea and researchers think EGCG is one of the most beneficial types of all the natural phytochemicals. In fact, recent studies have shown EGCG has a positive impact on arthritis, mental health problems, oral health, heart disease and even weight loss.

Researchers have also noted a link between consuming green tea and the risk of developing diabetes. In a new study just published in the journal Food Chemistry, a team of researchers from the Department of Food Science and Biotechnology at National Chung-Hsing University and the National Institute of Cancer Research in Taiwan have determined that under high-glucose conditions, EGCG may trigger beneficial processes in the body. This suggests the green tea component can protect diabetics and those with pre-diabetic conditions from serious complications.

In lab experiments, the scientists found that EGCG appears to play a role in controlling low-density lipoprotein (LDL or the "bad" cholesterol) and, perhaps most importantly, it protects from a reaction called glycation that can produce an array of health problems. Glycation (sometimes called non-enzymatic glycosylation) occurs when simple sugar molecules, such as fructose or glucose, become attached to proteins or fats without the moderation of an enzyme. This results in rogue molecules known as advanced glycation end products that can produce health risks by impairing the function of various biomolecules.

For their new study, the Taiwanese researchers set out to determine the antioxidant and antiglycation effects of EGCG under high-glucose conditions that mimicked high blood sugar conditions in diabetics and pre-diabetics. Working in lab experiments, they used human plasma that was treated with EGCG. Then LDL was removed from the plasma and challenged to oxidation testing. The results showed the treatment with the green tea EGCC made the "bad" type of blood fat resistant to oxidation, suggesting it helps fight heart disease. In addition, the EGCG was bound to the LDL and that inhibited glycation.

Bottom line: these finding suggest that the green tea extract protects from the harmful cascade of detrimental effects that are known to be triggered by high glucose levels.

"This study suggests that loading plasma with EGCG is an efficient way to increase the content of this phytochemical in LDL, which may imply favorable in vivo activity of EGCG in diabetes," the researchers wrote. They added that the green tea component seemed to possess a "rather specific and somewhat different degree of antiglycative action and lipoprotein-binding activity" than has been noted with other polyphenols. In other words, it may be a particularly powerful natural way to help prevent the harms associated with high blood sugar levels.

Source: NaturalNews.com http://www.naturalnews.com/029496_polyphenols_green_tea.html

Aggressive campaign to retain top tea rating
4 August 2010
by Rasika Somarathna

Sri Lanka intends to retain its top rating in global tea markets in the face of stiff competition by increasing output through innovative agricultural means plus a US $ 50 million propaganda campaign locally and internationally over five years to boost its image.

Plantations Industries Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe has advised authorities to make available quality tea at affordable prices in local markets instead of the cheap tea dust.

The authorities will launch a propaganda blitz, under the Minister’s guidance equally distributed over a five year period both locally and internationally with an annual budget of US $ 10 million to propagate the prestigious brand name the Finest Ceylon Tea - The Best in the World.

The entire cost of this campaign is to be borne by tea exporters. According to the Ministry sources, Minister Samarasinghe recently ordered officials to look into the possibility of producing fertilizer and soil nutrients in accordance with varying soil varieties in different parts of the country.

The Minister has directed authorities to produce varieties of fertilizer suitable for different soil variations experienced around the country.

The new fertilizer is expected to be distributed among tea small holders who account for 74 percent of the country’s tea production. This is to be enacted under the subsidized scheme introduced through the ‘Mahinda Chinthana’ The Tea Shakthi Fertilizer program.

Authorities target a 50 per cent increase in production by applying such innovative agricultural means to supplement optimal growth.

According to Ministry sources Sri Lanka expects to reach the 350 MT plus target in exports at the end of the year increasing its output from 289 MT last year.

Sri Lanka’s stature as the number one tea exporter in the world has faced stiff competition in recent times from the emergence of Kenya, India and China.

Source: DailyNews.lk http://www.dailynews.lk/2010/08/04/news31.asp