Ceylon Tea Village Plan Targets Smallholder Support and Higher Value Exports
AI-generated editorial illustration for Sri Express.
A national programme to establish 500 tea villages was announced on 13 July, with an initial phase covering all 144 Tea Inspector divisions.
The Ceylon Tea Village initiative was designed to modernise smallholder production and improve growers’ incomes. Its first ceremony was scheduled for 15 July in Halgolla, Hapugastalawa, with activities across eleven tea-growing districts.
The proposed package included nurseries, demonstration plots, insurance, concessionary finance, mechanisation and training. It also aimed to support handmade tea, producer cooperatives and additional income activities.
The ministry linked the programme to national goals of 400 million kilograms of made tea and US$2.5 billion in export earnings by 2030. These figures were targets for the industry’s development, rather than results already achieved.
Source: news.lk
