Three generations of Ratnayakes in Deniyaya have rendered a yeoman service towards the development and welfare of tea small holders and the tea industry in Sri Lanka, said Mass Media Minister Gayantha Karunatillake.

The minister was addressing the gathering at a ceremony at the Kalubowitiyana CTC tea factory premises to launch a programme to pay a guaranteed price of Rs. 80 per kilo for green leaf supplied by tea small holders under the governments 100 days programme. Plantation Industries Minister Lakshman Kiriella presided.

Minister Karunatillake said this is the first time in the history of the tea industry in Sri Lanka that a government ordered the payment of a guaranteed price for green leaves. He said green leaves should conform to 60 percent standard quality under the programme.

Minister Karunatillake said he first visited the Kalubowitiyana factory on the invitation of late Kolitha Ratnayake in 1991.

When the previous tea factory situated at the venue was burnt and destroyed during the 1989-90 period of terror, it was late Kolitha Ratnayake in his capacity as the Tea Small Holdings Development Authority Chairman who fulfilled the requirement of a factory for tea small holders to supply green leaves by rebuilding the factory to produce CTC tea.

Late Kolitha Ratnayake had the honour of introducing CTC tea to Sri Lanka. Minister Karunatillake said it was late Kolitha Ratnayake's son, Sagala Ratnayake who invited him to attend the ceremony.

A large number of tea small holders lived in Ratnapura, Galle and Matara districts.

As tea small holders faced hardships due to the lack of a certified price for green leaves, he (Minister Karunatillake), Minister Thalatha Atukorala and Sagala Ratnayake proposed the implementation of a guaranteed price for green leaves under the government's 100 days programme to provide an incentive to the small holder community.

When they encountered problems in implementing the proposal, Sagala Ratnayake in his capacity as the Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister's Office intervened to resolve them. This scheme would be implemented till tea small holders would receive a substantial price structure for green leaves supplied by them.

Karunatillake said small holders provide nearly 75 percent of green leaves in Sri Lanka.

The total number of small holders was nearly 400,000 and almost 95 percent of them owned two acres each or less. The guaranteed price was given to safeguard them, he said.

He said the previous government failed to resolve two major problems confronting the tea industry. Although small holders received fertilizer at a subsidised rate, their main grievance was that its poor quality did not help increase production. The government had taken steps to provide quality fertilizer as well, the minister said.

The image of Sri Lanka tea suffered a setback in the international market during the previous regime.

The government has also launched a programme to win over the Iranian market for tea which was lost during the previous regime.

Once this was done it would be possible to ensure a stable price for tea small holders.

Nearly 3,000 tea small holders supplying green leaves to Kalubowitiyana, Derangala and Hiniduma tea factories would be entitled to receive this guaranteed price for green leaves.

Chief of Staff of the Prime Ministers Office and Deniyaya UNP Chief Organizer Sagala Ratnayake distributed educational scholarships of Rs. 10,000 each among children of Kalubowitiyana tea factory employees.

Provincial Councillor Gayan Sanjeewa, Sunil Senanayake, Plantation Industries Ministry Secretary Anura Jayawickrama and Tea Commissioner Jayantha Edirige were also present.

Source: http://www.dailynews.lk/?q=local%2Fguaranteed-price-tea-leaves-first-time