“Pure Ceylon Tea exports grew by 5.4% in 2014. Only 50% of tea export revenues came from value added while other 50% is from raw tea exports,” EDB Chairman and CEO Bandula Egodage said.
Addressing the “Promotion of Value Added Tea Exports” session attended by more than 100 reps from 60 leading Lankan tea manufacturing and exporting firms he said the business cannot run just by exporting raw tea.
“We need to go for value addition. There is no debate on this. We export 96% of Pure Ceylon Tea production which is 325 million kgs. Pure Ceylon Tea exports grew by 5.4% in 2014,” Chairman Egodage said. “When considering 2014 total export revenues, only 50% from value added tea exports while other 50% is from tea exports in raw form. In terms of tea export volumes, raw exports are higher at 55% while value added exports only 45%. This is an issue that needs to be addressed.
Such half-half split is not bad but it does not give us much since raw and value added are bringing in similar amounts. Though we can see value addition but it does not give us the “required value addition” levels.
This is the third biggest export item of Sri Lanka and therefore as exporters and manufacturers it is your call and EDB is here to help you today.”
71.1 million kgs of Ceylon Tea was exported at the end of this March at a value of $321 mn.
Ceylon Tea packs almost 150 yrs of history and is Sri Lanka’s largest agricultural export commodity to the global market.
Courtesy: Daily News 13 July 2015