FT Recall: What MJF said in 2009/10 Annual Report

Friday, 19 August 2011 06:34 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

“The tea industry needs a stable policy, direction and expertise if it is to play a significant role in the economy. There is a desperate need for a TEA AUTHORITY which would be vested with full control over the industry, pursuing an astute 10 year plan.

The need to rehabilitate the industry - via replanting, factory development, legislation against rampant abuses by some producers and exporters and to provide an incentive package funded largely by a cess, targeted towards building fully Sri Lankan owned brand names, is a desperate need now.

A carefully managed replanting program will reverse the trend of decreasing crops; higher yields will also make prices more attractive to traders. The potential of our plantations has been unfairly discounted.

They are able to play a very significant role in our economy, if they are not taken for granted any longer.

I am confident that the new Minister of Plantations and the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tea Board, who present a strong, capable team, will initiate action to help salvage the industry.”