subject: Tea, Its Emergence And Impact On Sri Lanka [print this page] Regarded as the Second Nature of Sri Lanka, Tea was originally a replacement for the declining production of coffee which was struck hard with Devastating Emily or more specifically, Hemilea vastarix, a fungus disease. Prior to these occurrences, tea was only in an experimental stage within the country. A Scott, James Taylor of Kincardineshire was instrumental in pioneering the commercial tea growing in Sri Lanka which originated from the Loolecondera estate from Galaha dating back to 1867. Although initially the planting began with an area of just 19 acres, by 1872, Taylor was able to acquire the services of a fully equipped factory. The first shipment of Sri Lankan tea is said to be sold in London in 1873. Accordingly, he was able to improve the quality and quantity of the production within Ceylon thus records indicate a rise from 23 pounds to 81.3 tons within the period of 1873 and 1880 while Taylor playing a vital role.
Sub tropical climates and sloping terrains are considered ideal for tea, being a tree camellia. Most of the plantations are situated at elevations ranging from 2000 7000 ft while acidic soil, an average temperature of 11oc supported by a minimum of 127cm of rain fall will make it suitable for tea growing either from seeds or from cuttings made from pedigree mother bushes. Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Uva, Dimbula, Sabaragamuwa Province and Ruhuna areas accounts for the highest number of tea produced within the country.
Ceylon tea is mainly divided into high, medium and low grown considering the Topography. High grown are considered the best in quality and are common in central province while the medium grown Ceylons are found in Uva, Dimbula and Nuwara Eliya areas. Sabaragamuwa Province and Ruhuna forms the production of low lands.
Being the worlds third largest tea producer and sheltering the lives of nearly a million of people in the country, Tea also accounts for 15% of the GDP and is considered as a main source of foreign exchange.
Over the years, Sri Lanka has been experimenting with green tea which highlights the minimum oxidization in production that has origins back in China. Usually the crops planted in central highlands are selected for this process.
Sri Lanka Tea board has their own measures of quality and standards for tea producers and only through a thorough inspection process the producers will gain the permission to use the Lion Logo together with Pure Ceylon Tea slogan in their packing. Exportation process is also carefully monitored thus continuing the reputation of Ceylon Tea which has been maintained from the dates of the British Empire.
