RPC estate communities have seen significant quality of life improvements: PA

Responding to the article published in the Daily FT on 26 January, titled ‘Sri Lanka: Tea rich but nutrient poor,’ the Planters’ Association of Ceylon (PA) says estate communities in Regional Plantation Company (RPC) estates have seen significant quality of life improvements since privatisation of plantation management.

With regard to the problem of malnutrition highlighted in the article, the Plantation Human Development Trust (PHDT), which was established in 1992 with Government, trade union and RPC representation and is entrusted with improving health, childcare, social welfare and living conditions of plantation communities, says all health and standard of living indicators, have improved in RPC estates.  

“Malnutrition in the plantation sector has been a historical problem and the PHDT has been working on a number of projects, with the assistance of RPCs, Government agencies and donor agencies, to directly target this situation,” said the Director of Health, PHDT, Dr. Ravi Nanayakkara.

The PHDT says that while underweight births may be as high as 40% overall in the plantation sector, as highlighted in the article published in the FT, underweight births are much lower in RPC estates.

For instance, the low birth rate in RPC estates in Nuwara Eliya is 22.5%.  In addition, nearly all (99%) child births of RPC estate communities now take place in hospitals, compared to the previous practice of giving birth in line rooms. However, there is much more to be done to further reduce the low birth weight.

A number of programs are also currently ongoing to target malnutrition in Hatton and Nuwara Eliya that have had historically higher levels of malnutrition. These include programmes that directly provide food to plantation communities, as well as awareness programs aimed at changing plantation community food habits, by educating children, mothers and youth about healthy eating. One such ongoing programme by the PHDT, conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, UNICEF and RPC estate management, aims to improve Child Development Centres (CDC) in RPC estates. The CDC concept allows mothers to leave children under the age of five years in the care of trained Child Development Officers.

This system ensures correct nourishment and development of infants and young children. The programme also encourages breast feeding. Around 1,550 CDCs have been established in RPC estates, and out of this number, 247 are in Nuwara Eliya and 318 are in Hatton.

The PHDT has also undertaken to distribute rice flour and the nutritional supplement, Suwaposha, to expectant mothers and children with low birth weights, in RPC estates, in collaboration with the national Food Promotion Board of the Ministry of Agriculture. These items are distributed to families in RPC managed estates islandwide, through Estate Worker Housing Cooperative Societies.

“It is hoped that these higher nutrition foods will reduce wheat flour consumption among estate communities, thereby improving their nutritional status,” said Dr. Nanayakkara.

Under the UNICEF Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Programme, implemented by the PHDT, awareness is created about healthy eating, especially in RPC Estates in Badulla, Hatton and Nuwara Eliya. So far the ECCD program has paved the way to train 1,700 Community Facilitators among estate youth on ECCD. These Community Facilitators will be educated further on nutrition and healthier eating habits this year, says the PHDT.

On the topic of estate sector wages, the PA, that represents the country’s 23 RPCs, notes that workers of RPC estates have enjoyed regular wage increases through the process of collective bargaining. The latest Collective Agreement signed between RPCs and plantation sector trade unions in 2011 saw the estate sector daily wage package increase to Rs. 515 from Rs. 405. This wage increase includes an increase in the basic wage from Rs. 285 to Rs. 380 and the addition of a Rs. 105 attendance incentive and a Rs. 30 fixed price share supplement.  

With a guarantee of 25 days work a month (300 days per annum), an estate worker has the potential to earn over Rs. 12,000 per month, which can be further increased during high cropping months.  The PA also notes that the Ministry of Finance and planning statistics on poverty levels, released in May 2011, indicates that poverty in the estate sector has reduced from 32% in 2007 to 11.4% in 2010, which is a significant improvement.