View source for Tea production in Sri Lanka

[[Image:Sri Lanka tea farm2.jpg|thumb|Tea plantation in the Sri Lankan central highlands]]
'''Tea production in Sri Lanka''', formely [[Ceylon]], is of high importance to the [[Economy of Sri Lanka|Sri Lankan economy]] and the world market. The country is the world's third largest producer of [[tea]] and the industry is one of the country's main sources of foreign exchange and a significant source of income for laborers, with tea accounting for 15% of the [[GDP]], generating roughly $700 million annually. Sri Lanka was the world's leading exporter of tea (rather than producer) with 23% of the total world export in 1995 but has since been surpassed by [[Kenya]]. The tea sector employs, directly or indirectly over 1 million people in Sri Lanka, and in 1995 directly employed 215,338 on tea plantations and estates. The central highlands of the country, low temperature climate throughout the year, annual rainfall and the level of humidity are more favorable geographical factors for production in high quality tea. The industry was introduced to the country in 1867 by [[James Taylor (Ceylon)|James Taylor]], the British planter who arrived in 1852.<ref name="taylor-AU">{{cite web|url=http://www.american.edu/ted/ceylon-tea.htm|title=TED Case Studies - Ceylon Tea|publisher=American University, Washington, DC}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/1796478.stm|title=Sri Lanka tops tea sales|publisher=BBC|date=01 February, 2002}}</ref><ref name="tea-slk-usa">{{cite web|url=http://www.teausa.com/general/teatour.cfm%20|title=Sri Lanka Tea Tour|publisher=The Tea Association of the USA|date=August 11-17, 2003}}</ref><ref name="tea-unescap">{{cite web|url=http://www.unescap.org/drpad/publication/integra/volume3/srilanka/3sr01a.htm|title=Role of Tea in Development in Sri Lanka|publisher=United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific}}</ref><ref name="tea-slk-bbc1">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/311663.stm|title=South Asia Help for Sri Lanka's tea industry|publisher=BBC News|date=April 04, 1999}}</ref><ref name="tea-slk-bbc2">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/2779267.stm|title=Sri Lanka moves to protect tea industry|publisher=BBC News|date=19 February, 2003}}</ref><ref name="tea-slk-bbc3">{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/oxford/content/articles/2005/09/12/jenny_august.shtml|title=Just 64p a day for tea pickers in Sri Lanka|publisher=BBC News|date=20 September 2005}}</ref>

==History==
===Pre-Tea era===
[[Cinnamon]] was the first crop to receive government sponsorship in Ceylon, while the island was under [[Dutch period in Ceylon|Dutch control]].<ref name="de silva">{{si icon}} {{cite book|last=de Silva|first=Rasangika|title=Sri Lankawe Te Ithihasaya|publisher=Samanthi Publishers|date=2005|edition=1st|pages=27|chapter=Sri Lankawe Te Wagawe Arambaya|isbn=955-8596-32-9|accessdate=2009-04-22}}</ref> During the administration of Dutch governor Iman Willem Falck, cinnamon plantations were planted in [[Colombo]], [[Maradana]], and [[Cinnamon Gardens]] in 1769. The first [[British governors of Ceylon|British governor]] [[Frederick North, 5th Earl of Guilford|Frederick North]] prohibited private cinnamon plantations, thereby securing monopoly of the cinnamon plantation for the [[East India Company]]. However, an economic slump in the 1830s in England and elsewhere in Europe affected the cinnamon plantations in Ceylon. This resulted in them being decommissioned by [[William MacBean George Colebrooke|William Colebrooke]] in 1833. Finding cinnamon unprofitable, the British turned to [[coffee]].
[[File:Sri Lanka-Tea plantation-06.jpg|thumb|right|A tea plantation in Sri Lanka]]
By 1825 the Ceylonese already had a knowledge of coffee. They started planting coffee as a garden crop and the first coffee plantation was started in Baddegama in [[Galle District]]. Although this venture failed due unsuitability of area to the crop, George Bird became first to start planting coffee on a commercial scale. After Bird begun his coffee plantation in [[Singhapitiya]], [[Gampola]] governor [[Edward Barnes (British Army officer)|Edward Barnes]] also started a plantation in Gannoruwa. The demand and high price in European market for coffee fueled the rush of coffee planting. Investors flocked to Ceylon from overseas and around 100,000 ha of rain forest was cleared to pave the way for coffee plantations. The term, "Coffee rush", was coined to describe this developing situation in 1840.<ref name="de silva" />In 1869 the coffee industry was still thriving in Ceylon but shortly afterwards, coffee plantations were devastated by a fungal disease called ''[[Hemileia vastatrix]]'' or coffee rust, better known as "coffee leaf disease" or ‘coffee blight’.<ref>{{cite web|author=Steiman, Shawn|url=http://www.coffeeresearch.org/agriculture/hemileiavastatrix.htm|title=Hemileia vastatrix|publisher=Coffee Research.org|accessdate=April 25, 2009}}</ref> The planters nicknamed the disease "devastating Emily"<ref name="nickname">{{cite web|url=http://www.lankamission.org/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=869|title=Why Sri Lanka is everyone's cup of tea|last=Watson|first=Mike|date=Thursday, 18 September 2008|work=lankamission.org|publisher=yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk|accessdate=2009-04-26}}</ref> when it was first identified in the Madolsima area in 1869. Production dipped rapidly as the disease set in and every effort failed to revive the coffee. Of 1700 coffee planters only 400 remained in the island as the rest left for their home countries. The coffee crop died and marked an end of an era when most of the plantations on the island were dedicated towards producing coffee beans. [[Cocoa]] and [[Cinchona]] were experimented as alternative crops but failed due to a bug, ''Heloplice antonie''. In the 1870s virtually all the remaining coffee planters in Ceylon had switched to the production and cultivation of tea because of the devastating ''Hemileia vastatrix'' fungus.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://vvv.caes.state.ct.us/PlantPestHandbookFiles/pphIntroductory/pphdisease.htm|title=Introduction and Historical Impact of Plant Health Problems|publisher=The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station|accessdate=April 25, 2009}}</ref>By the year 1900, only 11,392 acres were still under coffee cultivation.<ref name="History of Ceylon tea">{{cite web|author=Holsinger, Monte|url=http://www.historyofceylontea.com/feature-articles.asp|date=2002|title=Thesis on the History of Ceylon Tea|publisher=History of Ceylon Tea|accessdate=April 25, 2009}}</ref>
[[File:Hemileia vastatrix.jpg|thumb|left|''[[Hemileia vastatrix]]'' or "coffee rust" which brought the downfall of coffee production and transition to the tea industry]]

===Foundation of tea plantations===
[[Image:Jamestaylor1.jpg|thumb|James Taylor in Kandy, Sri Lanka in 1860s]]
In 1824 a tea plant was brought to Ceylon by the British from China and was planted in the [[Botanical Garden of Peradeniya|Royal Botanical Gardens]] in [[Peradeniya]] for non-commercial purposes.<ref name="Eswaran">{{cite web|url=http://www.eswaran.com/History.pdf|title=History of Ceylon tea|publisher=Eswaran Tea|accessdate=April 21, 2009}}</ref> Further experimental with tea plants brought from [[Assam]] and [[Calcutta]] in India were brought to [[Peradeniya]] in 1839 through the [[East India Company]] and over the years that followed. In 1839 the [[Ceylon Chamber of Commerce]] was also established followed by the Planters' Association of Ceylon in 1854.<ref name="Eswaran"/> In 1867, James Taylor marked the birth of the tea industry in Ceylon by starting a tea plantation in [[Loolecondera]] estate Kandy in 1867. He began the tea plantation an estate of just {{convert|19|acre|m2}}. In 1872 he started a fully equipped tea factory in the same Loolecondera estate and that year the first sale of Loolecondra tea was made in Kandy. In 1873, the first shipment of Ceylon tea, a consignment of some 23 lbs, arrived in [[London]]. 
Sir [[Arthur Conan Doyle]] remarked on the establishment of the tea plantations, “…the tea fields of Ceylon are as true a monument to courage as is the lion at Waterloo”.<ref name="Mlesna">{{cite web|url=http://www.mlesnateas.com/story_ceylontea/history_of_ceylon_tea.shtml|title=History of Ceylon tea|publisher=Mlesna (Ceylon) Ltd|accessdate=April 21, 2009}}</ref>

Soon enough plantations surrounding Loolecondera such as Hope, Rookwood and Mooloya situated to the east and Le Vallon and Stellenberg to the south began transforming into tea plantations and were amongst the first tea estates to be established on the island.<ref name="AJ">{{cite web|url=http://www.afjones.lk/Pages/History_of_Ceylon.htm|title=History of Ceylon Tea|publisher=A.J. Jones Exporters Ceylon Limited|accessdate=April 25, 2009}}</ref>

The total population in Sri Lanka according to the census of 1871 was 2,584,780. The 1871 demographic distribution and population in the plantation areas is given below:<ref name="History of Ceylon tea"/> 
[[File:Kandy district.svg|thumb|right|[[Kandy District]], the heartland of tea production in Sri Lanka]]
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! District !! Total population !!No. of estates !! Estate population 
|-
| [[Kandy District]] ||258,432 ||625 || 81,476
|-
| [[Badulla District]] ||129,000  ||  130 || 15,555
|-
| [[Matale District]] ||  71,724  ||  111 ||   13,052
|-
| [[Kegalle District]] ||  105,287 ||  40|| 3,790
|-
| [[Sabaragamuwa Province|Sabaragamuwa]] || 92,277 || 37 ||  3,227
|-
| [[Nuwara Eliya District]] || 36,184 || 21||  308
|-
| [[Kurunegala District]] || 207,885 || 21|| 2,393
|-
| [[Matara District]] ||143,379 || 11|| 1,072
|-
| '''Total''' ||1,044,168 ||996 || 123,654
|-
|}

===Growth and history of commercial production===
[[File:Henry Trafford Ceylon.jpg|thumb|left|Henry Randolph Trafford, one of the pioneers of tea cultivation in Ceylon in the 1880s]]

Tea production in Ceylon increased dramatically in the 1880s and by 1888 the area under cultivation had exceeded that of coffee, growing to nearly 400,000 acres in 1899.<ref name="Trafford">{{cite web|author=Baxendale, James|url=http://www.historyofceylontea.com/feature-article2.asp|title=Henry Randolph Trafford:An Early Tea Planter in Ceylon|publisher=History of Ceylon Tea|accessdate=April 21, 2009}}</ref>British figures such as [[Henry Randolph Trafford]] arrived in Ceylon and bought coffee estates in places such as [[Poyston]], near
[[Kandy]] in 1880, which was the centre of the coffee culture of Ceylon at the time.<ref name="Trafford"/> However, he knew little about coffee but had considerable knowledge in regards to tea cultivation and he is considered one of the pioneer tea planters in Ceylon.<ref name="Trafford"/> By 1883, Trafford was the resident manager of numerous estates in the area, now switching to tea production.<ref name="Trafford"/> By the late 1880s almost all the coffee plantations in Ceylon had been converted to tea, following the example, with coffee stores rapidly converted to tea factories to meet the increasing demand for tea.<ref name="Mlesna"/> Technology developed in the 1880s with the manufacture of the first "Sirocco" tea drier by Samuel C. Davidson in 1877 and the manufacture of first tea rolling machine by John Walker & Co in 1880 set the conditions that would be required to make commercial tea production a reality.<ref name="Eswaran"/>This was consolidated in 1884 with the construction of the Central Tea Factory on Fairy land Estate (Pedro) in [[Nuwara Eliya]].<ref name="Eswaran"/> As tea production in Ceylon progressed, new factories were constructed introducing innovative methods of mechanization brought in from England. Marshals of Gainsborough of Lancashire, the Tangyes Machine Company of [[Birmingham]], and Davidsons of [[Belfast]] supplied the new tea factories with machinery which they still supply today.<ref name="Mlesna"/>
[[File:Loolecondera1.jpg|thumb|right|Early planters in Loolecondera]]
Tea steadily began being sold at auction as it increased in popularity. The first public Colombo Auction was held at the premises of Somerville & Co.on 30th July, 1883, under the auspices of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.<ref name="Eswaran"/> One million tea packets were sold at the Chicago World Fair in 1893. That same year the tea established a record price of £36.15 per lb at the London Tea Auctions. In 1894 the Ceylon Tea Traders Association was formed and today virtually all tea produced in Sri Lanka is conducted through this association and the [[Ceylon Chamber of Commerce]].<ref name="Mlesna"/> In 1896 the Colombo Brokers' Association was formed and in 1915 Thomas Amarasuriya, became the first Ceylonese to be appointed as Chairman of the Planters' Association. In 1925 the Tea Research Institute was established in Ceylon to conduct research into maximising yields and methods of production. By 1927 tea production in the country exceeded 100,000 metric tons, almost entirely for export. A 1934 law prohibited the export of poor quality tea. The Ceylon Tea Propaganda Board was formed in 1932.

In 1938 the Tea Research Institute commenced work on vegetative propagation at St. Coombs Estate in [[Talawakele]], and in 1940 it developed an immunity to the threatening Tea Tortrix Caterpillar to protect the crops.<ref name="Eswaran"/> In 1941 the first Ceylonese tea broking house, M/s Pieris & Abeywardena was established and in 1944 the Ceylon Estate Employers' Federation was founded.<ref name="Eswaran"/> On October 1st, 1951, export duty on tea was introduced and in 1955 the first clonal tea fields began cultivation.<ref name="Eswaran"/> In 1958 the State Plantations Corporation was established and on June 1st, 1959, Ad Valorem Tax was introduced for teas sold at the [[Colombo]] auctions.<ref name="Eswaran"/>
[[File:Tea Processing Plant Kandy.jpg|thumb|right|Tea processing plant in Kandy exhibiting machinery dating back to the 1850s]]
By the 1960s the total tea production and exports exceeded 200,000 metric tons and 200,000 hectares and by 1965 Sri Lanka became the world's largest tea exporter for the first time.<ref name="Eswaran"/> In 1963 the production and exports of Instant Teas was introduced and in 1966 the first International Tea Convention was held to commemorate 100 years of the tea industry in Sri Lanka. 
In the early 1970s, 1971-1972, the government of Sri Lanka nationalised the tea estates owned by the British companies.<ref name="taylor-gosl">{{cite web|url=http://www.priu.gov.lk/news_update/features/20011016Ceylon_Tea_Industry.htm|title=The rise of the Ceylon Tea Industry James Taylor and the Loolecondera Estate|publisher=Official Website of the Government of Sri Lanka}}</ref> The state took over some 502 tea, rubber and coconut privately owned estates and in 1975 nationalised the Rupee and sterling companies.<ref name="Eswaran"/>Land reform in Sri Lanka, meant that no cultivator was allowed to own 50 acres for any purpose. In 1976 the Sri Lanka Tea Board was founded as was other bodies such as the Janatha Estate Development Board (JEDB), Sri Lanka State Plantation Corporation (SLSPC) and the Tea Small Holding Development Authority (TSHDA) to overlook their acquired estates.<ref name="History of Ceylon tea"/> In was in 1976 that the exports of tea bags also commenced.<ref name="Eswaran"/>

In 1980 Sri Lanka became the official supplier of tea at the [[1980 Moscow Summer Olympic Games]], in 1982 at the [[12th Commonwealth Games]] in [[Brisbane]] and again in 1987 at [[Expo 88]] in [[Australia]].<ref name="Eswaran"/> In 1981, the import of teas for blending and re-exports was introduced and in 1982 to production and export of [[green tea]] commenced in Sri Lanka.<ref name="Eswaran"/> CTC teas commenced in the country in 1983. In 1992 the 125th anniversary of the industry was celebrated in an international convention in Colombo. On December 21, 1992 Export Duty and Ad Valorem Tax were abolished and the Tea Research Board established to further research into tea production.<ref name="Eswaran"/> In 1992-1993 many of the government-owned tea estates which they had privatized in the early 1970s became privatized again.<ref name="Eswaran"/> Heavy losses to the industry had been incurred due to nationalized management, and the government made to decision to return its plantations to private management with the sale of its 23 state-owned plantations.<ref name="Holy">{{cite web|url=http://www.holymtn.com/SriLanka/TeaCultivation.htm|title=Sri Lankan tea cultivation|publisher=Holy Mountain Trading Company|accessdate=April 24, 2009}}</ref>

By 1996, Sri Lanka's tea production had exceeded 250,000 metric tons, growing to over 300,000 metric tons by the year 2000.<ref name="Eswaran"/> In 2001 the first on-line sales of tea commenced, sold by Forbes & Walker Ltd.<ref name="Forbes">{{cite web|url=http://www.forbesteaportal.com/Insidepages/AboutTea/historyoftea.html|title=Sri Lankan Tea Brokers|publisher=Forbes & Walker Tea Brokers Ltd.|accessdate=July 28, 2009}}</ref>, at the Colombo Tea Auctions.<ref name="Eswaran"/> A Tea Museum was established in Kandy and in 2002 the Tea Association of Sri Lanka was formed.<ref name="Eswaran"/> According to minister of plantation industries, [[Lakshman Kiriella]] the Tea Association of Sri Lanka is "intended to transform the 135-year-old industry into a truly global force and facilitate a greater private sector role in strategy formulation, and implementation, and plantation industries".<ref name="Association">{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Historical+Tea+association+form+in+Sri+Lanka.+(World+News)-a0103381818|date=2003|title=Historical Tea association form in Sri Lanka|publisher=World News|accessdate=April 21, 2009}}</ref>
The association, which works with those that preceded it in Sri Lanka, represents tea producers, traders, exporters, smallholders, private factory owners and brokers, and is funded funded largely through [[Asian Development Bank]].<ref name="Association"/>

==Labor==
[[File:Recolectores de te3.jpg|right|thumb|A female plantation worker]]
Directly and indirectly, over one million Sri Lankans are employed in the tea industry. A large proportion of the workforce is young women and the minimum working age is twelve.<ref name="Holy"/> As tea plantations grew up in Sri Lanka and demanded extensive labour, finding an abundant workforce was a problem to planters.<ref name="de silva"/> [[Sinhalese people]] were reluctant work in the plantations as they were used to [[paddy]] farming. Therefore [[Indian Tamils of Sri Lanka|Indian Tamils]] began to be brought to Sri Lanka from the beginning of the coffee plantations. Immigration of Indian Tamils steadily increased and by 1855 there were 55,000 new immigrants. By the end of the coffee era there were some 100,000 in Sri Lanka.<ref name="de silva"/> 
[[File:Recolectores de te1.jpg|thumb|left|Tamil workers in central Sri Lanka]]
Young girls typically follow their mothers, grandmothers and older sisters on the plantations, and the women are also expected to perform most of the domestic duties.<ref name="Open demo">{{cite web|author=Victor, Stella|date=December 10, 2007|url=http://www.opendemocracy.net/blog/5050/sri_lankas_tea_plantations_working_with_men|title=Working with men in Sri Lanka's tea plantations|publisher=Open Democracy|accessdate=April 25, 2009}}</ref> They live in housing known as "lines", a number of linearly attached houses with just one or two rooms.<ref name="Open demo"/>This housing system and the environmental sanitation conditions is generally poor for laborers in the plantation sector.<ref name="Open demo"/> There are typically 6-12 or 24 line rooms in one line barrack.<ref name="Open demo"/> Often rooms for laborers are without windows and there is little or no ventilation and as many as 6 to 11 members may often live in one room together.<ref name="Open demo"/> In the housing system for plantation workers in Sri Lanka, women and girls have no privacy from the male workers, which places them at a higher risk for sexual harassment.<ref name="Open demo"/> In a June 2007, a study conducted in the [[Nuwara Eliya]] tea growing area revealed that the serious lack of privacy has led several women to commit suicide, especially newly wedded women.<ref name="Open demo"/>According to studies by [[Christian Aid]], the female Indian Tamil plantation workers are particularly at risk from discrimination and victimization.<ref name="tea-slk-bbc3"/>Some concern towards women's rights have been made in regards to the female plantation workers in Sri Lanka, resulting in some 85 neighborhood women's groups being formed across the country, educating them in gender, leadership and preventing violence against women.<ref name="Open demo"/>

The tea plantation is structured in social hierarchy and the women who often consist of 75%-85% of the work force in the tea industry are at the lowest social strata and are powerless.<ref name="Open demo"/> This is not unusual as the subordinance of women under men is present domestically and in the social community in many parts of Sri Lanka.<ref name="Open demo"/>Wages are typically particular low. In Nuwara Eliya, women were once paid as little as paid 7 rupees per kilo, the equivalent to 4 pence or 7 cents and many must complete 16 kilos a day.<ref name="tea-slk-bbc3"/>Given the social stratification in Sri Lanka, the pay has to be collected by a husband or father.<ref name="tea-slk-bbc3"/> The men who work on the tea plantations, typically cut down trees or operate machinery and were better paid at 155 rupees (82p) a day and finish the day hours earlier.<ref name="tea-slk-bbc3"/>Due to the severely low wages, industrial action took place in 2006.<ref name="Lanka Online">{{cite web|url=http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/fullstory.php?nid=1973541948|date=June 15, 2006|title=Sri Lankan tea pluckers not reaping benefits: study|publisher=Lanka Business Online|accessdate=April 25, 2009}}</ref> Wages in the tea sector were increased with the average daily wage earned in the sector now significantly higher at 378 rupees for men and 261 for women in some places.<ref name="Lanka Online"/> However studies have revealed that poverty is still a major problem and despite the tea industry employing a large number of poor people, employment has failed to alleviate poverty since workers are often highly uneducated and unskilled.<ref name="Lanka Online"/> Poverty levels on plantations have consistently been higher than the national average and although overall poverty in Sri Lanka has declined in the last thirty years, it is now significantly concentrated in rural areas.<ref name="Lanka Online"/> Poverty in the estate sector has been reported to be increasing with roughly one in three suffering from poverty, rising from 30 percent in 2002 to 32 percent in 2006/07.<ref name="Lanka Online"/> Nuwara Eliya is showed a significant increase in poverty among workers from 2002 to 2006/07 from 22.6 percent in 2002 to 33.8 percent in 2006/07 likewise.<ref name="Lanka Online"/>But by no means is employment secure in the tea sector in Sri Lanka. Like other industries, job security in the tea industry has been threatened by the current financial crisis. In Sri Lanka over 50,000 private sector employees are expected to lose their jobs in 2009 due to the current slump.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lankanewspapers.com/news/2009/3/41052.html|date=March 17, 2009|title=Global recession hits Lanka: Companies cut workforce|publisher=Lanka Newspapers.com|accessdate=April 25, 2009}}</ref> 

==Cultivation and processing==
[[File:Sri Lanka-Tea plantation-15.jpg|thumb|left|A tea picker in Sri Lanka]]
Over 221,000 hectares or approximately 4% of the country’s land area is covered in tea plantations. The crop is best grown at high altitudes of over 2100 m, and the plants require an annual rainfall of more than 100-125&nbsp;cm.<ref name="Mlesna 2">{{cite web|url=http://www.mlesnateas.com/story_ceylontea/tea_cultivation_plantations_sri_lanka.shtml|title=Tea cultivation|publisher=Mlesna (Ceylon) Ltd|accessdate=April 21, 2009}}</ref> 
Tea is cultivated in Sri Lanka using the ‘contour planting’ method, where tea bushes are planted in lines in coordination with the contours of the land, usually on slopes.<ref name="Mlesna 2"/>For commercial manufacture the ‘flush’ or leaf growth on the side branches and stems of the bush are used.<ref name="Mlesna 2"/> Generally two leaves and a bud, which have the flavour and aroma, are skilfully plucked, usually by women.<ref name="Production">{{cite web|url=http://www.ceylonblacktea.com/tea_producing_process.html|title=Tea producing process|publisher=Ceylon Black Tea|accessdate=April 25, 2009}}</ref> Sri Lanka is one of the few countries where each tea leaf is picked by hand rather than be mechanisation given that if machinery operated, often a considerable number of coarse leaves and twigs could be mixed, adding bulk not flavor to the tea.<ref name="Production"/>The women after experience acquire the ability to pluck rapidly and set a daily target of around 15 to 20 kg of tea leaves to be weighed and then transported to the nearby tea factory.<ref name="Mlesna 2"/>Tea plants in Sri Lanka require constant nurturing and attention. An important part of the process is taking care of the soils with the regular application of fertiliser. Younger plants are regularly cut back 10-15 cm from the ground to encourage lateral growth and are pruned very frequently with a special knife.<ref name="Mlesna 2"/> 
[[File:Sri Lanka tea farm.jpg|right|thumb|Pluckers with baskets]]
The tea factories found on most tea estates in Sri Lanka are crucial to the final quality and value of manufactured tea. After plucking the tea is very quickly taken to the muster sheds to be weighed and monitored under close supervision, and then the teas are brought to the factory.<ref name="Production"/> A tea factory in Sri Lanka is typically a multi-storeyed building and located on tea estates to minimise the costs and time between plucking and processing.<ref name="Mlesna3">{{cite web|url=http://www.mlesnateas.com/story_ceylontea/tea_factory_tea_leaves_sri_lanka.shtml|title=Tea Factory|publisher=Mlesna (Ceylon) Ltd|accessdate=April 21, 2009}}</ref> The tea leaves are taken up the the upper floors of the factories where they are spread in troughs, a process known as withering which removes all excess moisture in the leaf.<ref name="Mlesna3"/> Once withered, the tea leaves are rolled, twisted and parted which serves as a [[catalyst]] for the [[enzymes]] in the leaves to react with the air, especially with the production of black tea.<ref name="Mlesna3"/> 

The leaves are rolled on circular brass or wooden battened tables and are placed in a rotating open cylinder from above.<ref name="Mlesna3"/> After rolling is finished, the leaf particles are spread out on a table where they begin to ferment in being exposed to heat. However, the preliminary heat is natural from the air temperature, so fermentation time may fluctuate according to the [[temperature]] and [[humidity]].<ref name="Mlesna3"/> Regulating the temperature, humidity and the duration of fermentation times requires a great deal of attention and failure to follow the exact guidelines will make the flavor of the tea disappear.<ref name="Production"/> As oxidisation occurs the colour of the leaf changes from a green to a bright coppery color.<ref name="Mlesna3"/> It is now that artificial heat comes into play as the fermented leaf is inserted into firing chamber to prevent further chemical reaction from taking place.<ref name="Mlesna3"/>The tea leaves are fired to retain the flavour after the fermentation process is complete.<ref name="Production"/> Again the regulation of the temperature plays an important role in the final quality of the tea and on completion, the tea will become black and harder.<ref name="Mlesna3"/>
[[File:Sri Lanka-Tea plantation-09.jpg|left|thumb|Graded tea]]
Grading (ordered by size in Sri Lanka) then takes place as the tea particles are sorted into different shapes and sizes by sifting them through meshes.<ref name="Mlesna3"/> 
No artificial preservatives are added at any stage of the manufacturing process and sub-standard tea which fails to initially comply with standards is rejected regardless of the quantity and value.<ref name="Production"/>Finally, then, the teas are weighed and packed into tea chests or paper sacks and then given a close inspection. The tea is then sent to the local auction and transported to the tea brokering companies.<ref name="Production"/> At the stage of exporting the Sri Lanka Tea Board will check and sample each shipment after the completion of packing to ensure that the finest quality tea is exported and then it is finally shipped in various forms of packing to many parts of the world.<ref name="Production"/> 
  	 
===Cultivation areas===
[[File:Sri Lanka-Tea plantation-04.jpg|thumb|right|Plantation workers]]
The major tea growing areas are [[Kandy]] and [[Nuwara Eliya]] in [[Central Province, Sri Lanka|Central Province]], [[Badulla]], [[Bandarawela]] and [[Haputale]] in [[Uva Province]], [[Galle]], [[Matara, Sri Lanka|Matara]] and [[Mulkirigala]] in [[Southern Province, Sri Lanka]], and [[Ratnapura]] and [[Kegalle]] in [[Sabaragamuwa Province]]. 

There are mainly six principal regions planting tea. [[Nuwara Eliya]], Dimbula, [[Kandy]] Uda Pussellawa, [[Uva Province]] and [[South]].<ref name="pure ceylon tea">{{cite web|url=http://www.pureceylontea.com/teaareas.htm|title=Tea Areas|work=pureceylontea.com|publisher=Sri Lanka Tea Board|accessdate=2009-04-23}}</ref>  [[Nuwara Eliya]] is an oval shaped plateau of 6,240 feet of elevation. Nuwara Eliya tea produces a unique flavour. 

Dimbula is one the first areas to be planted from 1870's. Height of ranging between 3500 ft to 5000 ft defines this planting area.<ref name="Black Tea">{{cite web|url=http://www.ceylonblacktea.com/tea_growing_areas_in_sri_lanka.html|title=Tea growing areas in Sri Lanka|publisher=Ceylon Black Tea|accessdate=April 25, 2009}}</ref> South-western monsoon rain and cold weather from January to March are determining factors of flavour. Eight Subdistricts of Dimbula are [[Hatton, Sri Lanka|Hatton]]/[[Dickoya]], Bogawanthalawa, Upcot/Maskeliya, Patana/Kotagala, Nanu Oya/[[Lindula]]/[[Talawakele]], Agarapatana, Pundaluoya  and Ramboda.

[[Kandy]] is famous for Mid-grown tea. The first tea plantations were grown here. Tea plantations located 2000 ft to 4000 ft.<ref name="Black Tea"/>[[Pussellawa]]/Hewaheta and [[Matale]] are the two main subdistricts of the region. Between [[Nuwara Eliya]] and [[Uva Province]], Uda Pussellawa situated. Northwest monsoon prevails in this region. Plantations near [[Nuwara Eliya]] have a range of rosy teas. The two subdistricts comprised are Maturata and Ragala/Halgranoya.
[[File:Sri Lanka-Tea plantation-05.jpg|thumb|left|Plantation buildings]]
[[Uva Province|Uva]] area's tea have quite a distinctive flavour and widely used for blends. Tea plantations elevation rage from 3000 ft to 5000 ft.<ref name="Black Tea"/> Being a large district Uva has a number of subdistricts, Malwatte/[[Welimada]], [[Demodara]]/Hali-Ela/[[Badulla]], Passara/Lunugala, Madulsima, Ella/[[Namunukula]], [[Bandarawela]]/Poonagala, [[Haputale]], Koslanda/[[Haldummulla]].

Low-grown tea is mainly originates from southern Sri Lanka. These teas grown from sea level to 2000 ft, thrive in fertile soils and warm conditions.<ref name="Black Tea"/> These areas spread across four main subdistricts, [[Ratnapura]]/[[Balangoda]], Deniyaya, [[Matara, Sri Lanka|Matara]], [[Galle]].

The high-grown tea thrive in above 1200m of elevation and warm climate and sloping terrain.<ref name="Black Tea"/> Hence this type is common in Central highlands.<ref name="my sri lanka">{{cite web|url=http://www.mysrilankaholidays.com/ceylon-tea.html|title=Tea of Sri Lanka (Ceylon Tea)|accessdate=2009-04-23}}</ref> Mid-grown tea is found in 600m-1200m altitude range. Various types of tea is blended to obtain required flavour and colour. [[Uva Province]], and [[Nuwara Eliya]], Dimbuala and [[Dickoya]] are the area mid-grown tea originate. Low-grown tea is stronger and less-subtle in taste and produced in [[Galle]], [[Matara, Sri Lanka|Matara]] and [[Ratnapura]] areas.

====Registered tea production by elevation in Sri Lanka====

Registered tea production in hectares by elevation category in Sri Lanka, 1959-2000:<ref name="History of Ceylon tea"/> 
{| class="wikitable" border="1" align="right" style="margin-left:5px"
|-
! Year !! High alt. <br>(ha.) !!Medium alt <br>. (ha.) !! Low alt.<br> (ha.) !!Total <br>hectares
|-
| [[1959]] ||74,581  || 66,711 || 46,101 ||187,393
|-
| [[1960]] || 79,586 || 69,482 || 48,113||197,181
|-
| [[1961]] ||76,557  || 97,521 || 63,644||237,722
|-
| [[1962]] || 76,707 ||97,857  || 64,661||239,225
|-
| [[1963]] || 76,157 ||95,691  || 65,862||237,710
|-
| [[1964]] ||81,538  || 92,281 || 65,759||239,578
|-
| [[1965]] ||87,345  || 92,806 ||60,365 ||240,516
|-
| [[1966]] || 87,514 || 93,305 || 60,563||241,382
|-
| [[1967]] || 87,520 || 93,872 ||60,945 ||242,337
|-
| [[1968]] || 81,144 || 99,359 ||61,292 ||241,795
|-
| [[1969]] || 81,092 || 98,675 || 61,616||241,383
|-
| [[1970]] ||77,549  || 98,624 ||65,625 ||241,798
|-
| [[1971]] || 77,936 || 98,624 || 65,625||242,185
|-
| [[1972]] || 77,639 || 98,252 ||65,968 ||241,859
|-
| [[1973]] || 77,793 || 98,165 ||66,343 ||242,301
|-
| [[1974]] || 77,693 ||97,875  ||66,622 ||242,190
|-
| [[1975]] ||79,337  || 98,446 || 64,099||241,882
|-
| [[1976]] || 79,877 || 94,338 ||66,363 ||240,578
|-
| [[1977]] ||79,653  || 94,835 || 67,523||242,011
|-
| [[1978]] || 79,628 || 95,591 ||68,023 ||243,242
|-
| [[1979]] || 78,614 || 97,084 ||68,401 ||244,099
|-
| [[1980]] || 78,786 || 96,950 ||68,969 ||244,705
|-
| [[1981]] || 78,621 || 96,853 || 69,444||244,918
|-
| [[1982]] ||77,769  || 96,644 || 67,728||242,141
|-
| [[1983]] || 71,959 ||90,272  ||67,834 ||230,065
|-
| [[1984]] || 74,157 || 90,203 ||63,514 ||227,874
|-
| [[1985]] ||74,706  || 89,175 ||67,769 ||231,650
|-
| [[1986]] || 73,206 || 85,216 ||64,483 ||222,905
|-
| [[1987]] || 72,773 || 84,445 || 64,280||221,498
|-
| [[1988]] || 72,901 || 84,227 ||64,555 ||221,683
|-
| [[1989]] || 73,110 || 84,062 || 64,938||222,110
|-
| [[1990]] || 73,138 || 83,223 ||65,397 ||221,758
|-
| [[1991]] ||73,331  ||82,467  ||65,893 ||221,691
|-
| [[1992]] || 74,141 ||85,510  || 62,185||221,836
|-
| [[1994]] || 51,443 ||56,155  || 79,711||187,309
|-
| [[1995]] ||51,443  ||56,155  || 79,711||187,309
|-
| [[1996]] || 52,272 ||56,863  ||79,836 ||188,971
|-
| [[1997]] || 51,444 ||58,155  ||79,711 ||189,310
|-
| [[1998]] || 51,444 ||58,155  ||79,711 ||189,310
|-
| [[2000]] || 52,272 ||56,863  ||79,836 ||188,971
|-
|}

===Infrastructure===
[[File:Loolecondera railway.jpg|thumb|left|The advent of the railways in Sri Lanka transported tea directly to the ports for exportation]]
After the introduction of tea, the Sri Lankan economy transformed from [[traditional economy]] to a [[plantation economy]].<ref name="de silva"/> Many Europeans migrated to Sri Lanka as planters and [[Indian Tamils of Sri Lanka|Indian Tamils]] brought here as estate labors.

At the time of [[Kingdom of Kandy|Kandyan Kingdom]] it was the policy not building roads due to strategic defense reasons.<ref name="de silva"/> Therefore when the plantations started there was very little infrastructure in place in the hill country. Transporting the products to the Colombo port was a major problem. Therefore the Sri Lankan government undertook a massive program of road, rail and urban development in the plantation areas.<ref name="AJ"/>Governor [[Edward Barnes (British Army officer)|Sir Edward Barnes]] pioneered in building roads. During his government Captain Dawson, [[Thomas Skinner (Ceylon)|Major Skinner]] and others in [[public works]] department completed [[A 1 highway (Sri Lanka)|Colombo-Kandy road]].<ref name="abaya">{{si icon}} {{cite book|last=Abhayawardhana|first=H.A.P.|title=Kandurata Praveniya|publisher=[[Central Bank of Sri Lanka]]|date=2004|pages=140|isbn=955-575-092-2|accessdate=2009-04-23}}</ref><ref name="barnes">{{cite web|url=http://sundaytimes.lk/070114/FunDay/heritage.html|title=The great road-maker arrives|date=Sunday, January 14, 2007|work=sundaytimes.lk|publisher=The Sunday Times|accessdate=2009-04-23}}</ref>
[[File:Sri Lanka-Tea plantation-13.jpg|thumb|left|Trucks transporting tea from the estates]]
Building roads was not a fully sufficient solution to the transportation problem. Finding enough carts was difficult and it was a slow medium.<ref name="rajapaksha">{{si icon}} {{cite book|last=Rajapaksha|first=Sirisena|title=Sri Lankawe Dumriya Gamanagamanaya|publisher=Author Publication|date=2001|edition=1st|pages=25|isbn=955-97395-0-6|accessdate=2009-04-23}}</ref>The Ceylon Planters Association was founded in 1854 in protest to cut-down of government expenditure on highways. This association lobbied the government to building and maintenance roads. Though the building the railway commenced in 1858, the first major train journey did not commence until 1965 due to these protests.<ref name="rajapaksha"/><ref name="journey">{{cite web|url=http://sundaytimes.lk/990103/plus12.html|title=A historic journey in 1864|last=Ratnasinghe|first=Aryadasa|date=3rd January 1999|publisher=The Sunday Times|accessdate=2009-04-23}}</ref>
The railway was initially known as originally known as Ceylon Government Railways. The Main Line was constructed from [[Colombo]] to [[Ambepussa]], 54 kilometers to the east. The railway was initially built to transport coffee and tea from the hill country to Colombo for export. For many years, transporting such goods was the main source of income on the line. The first train ran on 27 December 1864. The line was officially opened for traffic on 02 October 1865. The Main Line was extended in stages with service to [[Kandy]] in 1867, to [[Nawalapitiya]] in 1874, to [[Nanu Oya]] in 1885, to [[Bandarawela]] in 1894, and to [[Badulla]] in 1924. 
Other lines were completed in due course to link the country: the Matale Line in 1880, the Coast Line in 1895, the Northern Line in 1905, the Mannar Line in 1914, the Kelani Valley Line in 1919, the Puttalam Line in 1926, and the Batticaloa and Trincomalee Lines in 1928 as infrastructure in the previously undeveloped country developed. Today this railway is now primarily engaged in the transport of passengers, especially commuters to and from Colombo, rather than transporting tea to the ports.

==Product==
===Ceylon black tea===
[[File:Ceylon black tea leaves.jpg|thumb|right|Ceylon black tea]]
Ceylon black tea is one of the country's specialties. It has a crisp aroma reminiscent of [[citrus]], and is used both unmixed and in blends. It is grown on numerous estates which vary in altitude and taste.

===Ceylon green tea===
[[Image:Iddalgashinna OP green tea.jpg|thumb|left|Ceylon green tea]]
Ceylon [[green tea]] is mainly made from [[Assam]]ese [[tea stock]]. It is grown in [[Idalgashinna]] in [[Uva Province]]. Ceylon green teas generally have the fuller body and the more pungent, rather malty, nutty flavour characteristic of the teas originating from Assamese seed stock. The [[tea grade]] names of most Ceylon green teas reflect traditional [[China|Chinese]] green tea [[Naming convention|nomenclature]], such as tightly rolled [[gunpowder tea]], or more [[open leaf]] tea grades with Chinese names like [[Chun Mee tea|Chun Mee]]. Overall, the green teas from [[Sri Lanka]] have their own characteristics at this time - they tend to be darker in both the dry and [[infused leaf]], and their flavour is richer; this could change in the future as market demand preferences change the Ceylon green tea producers start using more of the  original Chinese, [[Indonesia]]n, [[Japan]]ese and [[Brazil]]ian [[seed base]], which produces the very light and sparkling bright yellow colour and more delicate, sweet flavour with which most of the world market associates green teas. At this time, Sri Lanka remains a very minor producer of green teas and its green teas, like those of India and Kenya, remain an acquired taste.

===Ceylon white tea===
[[Image:Meepitiya-White tea-Silver Tips.jpg|thumb|right|Ceylon white tea]] 

Ceylon [[white tea]], also known as "silver tips" is highly prized, and prices per [[kilogram]] are significantly higher than other teas. The tea was first grown at [[Nuwara Eliya]] near [[Adam's Peak]] between 2200 -2500 metres. The tea is grown, harvested and rolled by hand with the leaves dried and withered in the sun. It has a delicate, very light liquoring with notes of pine & honey and a golden coppery infusion. 'Virgin White Tea' is also grown near Galle in the south of Sri Lanka. The history of this tea is that the tea was specially made for the Chinese Emperor and was only cut by virgins with golden shears onto golden plates and was never touched by hand. {{Fact|date=June 2009}} The anti oxidants found in the tea are over 10% which ranks it one of the highest in the World. {{Fact|date=June 2009}}

==International market and prices==
[[File:Sri Lanka Teeplantage.jpg|thumb|right|A tea plantation near [[Nuwara Eliya]] in a medium altitude area]]
[[File:Sri Lanka-Tea plantation-14.jpg|right|thumb]]
[[File:Sri Lanka-Tea plantation-02.jpg|right|thumb]]
Sri Lankan tea continued to have international success into the 2000s. In 2001, despite falling tea prices in every major tea exporting country and increasing competition, retained its position as the world's top tea exporter by selling a record 294 million kilograms in 2001 compared to 288 million kilograms in 2000.<ref name="BBC1">{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1796478.stm|title=Sri Lanka tops tea sales|date=February 1, 2002|publisher=[[BBC]]|accessdate=April 25, 2009}}</ref>  World tea production in 2001 rose 3.7% to 3.022 million tonnes, but in Sri Lanka tea exports rose to an all-time high of $658m from $595m the previous year.<ref name="BBC1"/> Currently, however, Sri Lanka whilst the world's largest exporter of tea is far behind India and China in terms of total production.

In 2003 the government in Sri Lanka sought to protect the country's near $700m tea industry during the [[2003 Iraq War]]. The war in Iraq caused panic, particularly among small-scale Sri Lankan tea growers who represent 69% of all tea production in Sri Lanka, who demanded that the government to bail them out.<ref name="BBC2">{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2779267.stm|title=Sri Lanka moves to protect tea industry|publisher=[[BBC]]|date=February 19, 2003|accessdate=April 24, 2009}}</ref> Iraq buys up to 15% of Sri Lanka's tea, and a third of this would enter the country illegally on small boats from [[Dubai]] as well as into neighbouring countries such as [[Iran]].<ref name="BBC2"/>Exporters called for the government to assist them with concessionary bank loans and some tea factory owners in Sri Lanka demanded a moratorium on electricity bill payments.<ref name="BBC2"/> Prices fell in [[Colombo]] as a result of the crisis.<ref name="BBC2"/> Plantations Minister [[Lakshman Kiriella]] responded, saying, "tea promoters would receive diplomatic postings in Sri Lankan missions abroad to give an extra push to the island's 'green gold'".<ref name="BBC2"/> $15 million was funded to promote Sri Lankan brands on international markets during the Iraq war. <ref name="BBC2"/>
Later in 2003 the island suffered severe floods in the lower growing tea areas of Sri Lanka.<ref name="FAO2">{{cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2005/105404/index.html|date=July 14, 2005|title=World tea production reaches new highs|publisher=[[Food and Agriculture Organization]]|accessdate=April 25, 2009}}</ref> However production production still increased slightly by 1.3 percent to 309 000 tonnes in 2004, as the crop recovered.<ref name="FAO2"/>In Sri Lanka, production increased slightly by 1.3 percent to 309 000 tonnes in 2004, reflecting the recovery from crop losses after devastating floods in low grown tea areas of the island in 2003.<ref name="FAO2"/> Kenya surpassed Sri Lanka as the largest exporter of tea with an 8.9 percent growth in exports for the year totalling nearly 293,000 tonnes.<ref name="FAO2"/> In 2004 actual tea production in Kenya had increased by more than 11 percent to reach 328,000 tonnes, as a result of a good harvesting season, wealth and improving processing facilities.<ref name="FAO2"/> 

The Sri Lankan tea industry continued to grow into 2007 and 2008. Tea production hit a record 318.47 million kilos in 2008, up from 305.2 million kilos produced in 2007.<ref name="Mirror">{{cite web|url=http://www.dailymirror.lk/DM_BLOG/Sections/frmNewsDetailView.aspx?ARTID=42407|date=March 5, 2009|title=Sharp fall in Sri Lanka tea exports|publisher=[[The Daily Mirror]] (Sri Lanka)|accessdate=April 25, 2009}}</ref> In 2008 export earnings struck a record high of 1.23 billion dollars for the full year, up from 1.02 billion dollars in 2007.<ref name="Mirror"/> However, more recently, the industry like many others across the world has suffered from the contemporary [[Financial crisis of 2007–2009|global financial crisis]].<ref name="Mirror"/> The Sri Lanka Tea Board revealed in March 2009 that the industry had suffered a 30 percent drop in overseas sales in January 2009.<ref name="Mirror"/> The downfall in tea production has been felt not only by Sri Lanka but with all the major tea producing nations. <ref name="Economic Times">{{cite web|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Markets/Commodities/Dry-spell-takes-a-toll-on-global-tea-production/articleshow/4336801.cms|title=Dry spell takes a toll on global tea production|date=March 30, 2009|publisher=[[Economic Times]] of India|accessdate=April 25, 2009}}</ref> Total volumes of tea exports fell 25 percent to 17.76 million kilograms (39.07 million pounds) and sales from tea shipments fell to 6.9 billion rupees (61.37 million dollars) in January, compared to 9.8 billion rupees in the same period a year earlier.<ref name="Mirror"/> Prices have collapsed to an average of 2.65 dollars a kilo (1.20 dollars a pound) from record highs of 4.26 dollars experienced between January and September 2008.<ref name="Mirror"/>
[[Drought]] has also been a contributing factor to the 2009 crisis in Sri Lankan tea as it has in [[India]].<ref name="Economic Times"/>The Sri Lankan industry has been hit worst though with a fall of 8.7 million kg produced in January 2009.<ref name="Economic Times"/> 

====Main destination of Sri Lankan teas====
The most important foreign markets for Sri Lankan tea are the former Soviet bloc countries of the [[Commonwealth of Independent States|CIS]], the [[United Arab Emirates]], [[Turkey]], [[Iraq]], [[Iran]], [[UK]], [[Japan]], [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Syria]] and [[Libya]].<ref name="BBC1"/>

The most important foreign markets for Sri Lankan tea are as follows in terms of millions of kilograms imported by these countries. The figures were recorded in 2000:<ref name="History of Ceylon tea"/>
[[File:Te-sacs.jpg|thumb|right|Sacks of tea ready to be shipped]]
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Country !! Total exports (mn Kgs) 
|-
| [[Commonwealth of Independent States|CIS Countries]] ||  57.6
|-
| [[United Arab Emirates|UAE]] || 48.1 
|-
| [[Turkey]] || 20.3
|-
| [[Syria]] || 21.5
|-
| [[Russia]] || 46.1
|-
| [[United Kingdom|UK]] || 10.2
|-
| [[Libya]] || 10
|-
| [[Japan]] || 8.3
|-
| [[Germany]] || 5
|-
| [[Iraq]] ||  11.1
|-
| [[Saudi Arabia]] || 11.4
|-
| [[Egypt]] || 10.1
|-
| [[Iran]] || 12.5
|-
| Others || 23.7
|-
| '''Total'''|| 288
|}

===Branding and grading===
[[Image:lion logo.jpg|right|thumb|Sign of Quality for Pure Ceylon Tea]]
Ceylon tea is divided into three groups: High or Upcountry (Udawatte), Mid country (Medawatte), and Low country (Yatawatte) tea, based on the geography of the land on which it is grown.

Tea produced in Sri Lanka carries the "Lion Logo"<ref>{{cite web
  | title = Lion Logo
  | publisher = Sri Lanka Tea Board
  | url = http://www.pureceylontea.com/lionlogo.htm
  | format = [[HTML]]
  | quote = Overseas Importers/packers are not allowed to use the Lion Logo on their tea packs even if the packs contain pure Ceylon Tea.
  | accessdate = April 21, 2009}}
</ref> on its packages, which indicates that the tea was produced in Sri Lanka. The use of the Lion Logo is closely monitored by the Sri Lanka Tea Board<ref>{{cite web
  | title = Pure Ceylon Tea
  | publisher = Sri Lanka Tea Board
  | url = http://www.pureceylontea.com/
  | format = [[HTML]]
  | accessdate = April 21, 2009}}
</ref>, which is the governing body of the tea industry in [[Sri Lanka]]. If a tea producer demands to use the lion logo on his packaging, they need to gain permission from the Sri Lanka Tea Board. The tea board then performs a strict inspection procedure, the passing of which  allows the producer to use the logo, along with the '''"Pure Ceylon Tea - Packed in Sri Lanka"''' slogan on their tea packaging. Each and every consignment is thoroughly inspected by Sri Lanka Tea board officers before being shipped. Therefore the lion logo and the wording is indeed the assurance of the origin of the tea and of its quality.

Most of the Sri Lankan tea exporters now focus on adding more value to the exports rather than exporting raw tea. The name "Ceylon Tea" or "Sri Lankan tea" is still regarded as a sign of quality throughout the world.

Grading names which are used in Sri Lanka to classify its teas are not by any means the indication of its quality but indicate its size and appearance. Mainly there are two categories. They are "'''Leaf grades'''" and "'''Smaller broken grades'''". Leaf grades refers to the size and appearance of the teas that were produced during Sri Lanka's colonial era (which are still being used) and the other refers to the modern tea style and appearance.

==Institutions and research==
[[File:Kandy Tea Museum.jpg|thumb|right|Kandy Tea Museum|upright]]
===Ceylon Tea Museum ===
The Sri Lanka Tea Board opened a Tea Museum in Hantana, [[Kandy]] in 2001. Although exhibits are not abundant they do provide a valuable insight into how tea was manufactured in the early days. Old machinery, some dating back more than a century, has been lovingly restored to working order. The first exhibit that greets visitors is the Ruston and Hornsby developed diesel engine, as well as other liquid fuel engines, located in the Engine Room on the ground floor of the museum. Power for the tea estates were also obtained by water driven turbines.

The museum's "Rolling Room" offers a glimpse into the development of manufacturing techniques, with its fascinating collection of rollers. Here the showpiece is the manually operated ' Little Giant Tea Roller'. It also houses tea shops and a restaurant that give visitors an opportunity to taste and take home fine Ceylon tea, such as Akbar, Alghazaleen & Lipton, the most known Ceylon tea brands around the world.

==See also==
*[[James Taylor (Ceylon)]]
*[[Loolecondera]]
*[[Thomas Lipton]]
{{-}}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{commonscat|Tea plantations in Sri Lanka}}
* [http://www.teamuse.com/article_000903.html Taylor, Lipton and the Birth of Ceylon Tea]
* [http://www.Dilmahtea.com Dilmah official website]
* [http://www.liptonforthefuture.com Lipton official website]
* [http://www.cepa.lk/estates Documentary on the tea and rubber plantations of Sri Lanka: To Escape or Maximise? The estate workers' dilemma, Center for Poverty Analysis (CEPA), 2008]
* [http://the-tea-site.com/ceylon_tea.php Official website of The Tea Site: Ceylon Tea Article]

[[Category:Sri Lankan tea|*]]
[[Category:Agriculture in Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:Economy of Sri Lanka]]