Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2020-01-02

Tea Sector Revival and Modernization Programme

- In view of making the Tea sector a key export industry in the country, it has been scheduled to implement a programme in association with the Tea Board of Sri Lanka, Department of Commerce and relevant authorities of the Sri Lankan missions abroad enabling to encourage Ceylon Tea importing countries to increase their imports by at least 10% per year from 2020. Nevertheless, difficulties encountered by the tea factory owners who play a vital role in the tea industry, have become an obstacle for the same. It has been observed that specially the restrictive finances, tax procedures implemented over the last couple of years and deregulation of prevalent rules and regulations permitting the import of tea providing space for re export, have led for the said situation. Under these circumstances, the proposals made by the Minister of Plantation Industries and Export Agriculture pertaining to the implementation of the tea sector revival and modernization programme by converting the tea industry into a stable and competitive export earner in a manner ensuring the job security of a large number of employees engaged connected to the tea sector supply chain, was approved by the Cabinet.