Tea production in Sri Lanka Facts for Kids

Tea plantations in Haputale, Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, once known as Ceylon, is a beautiful island country. It's famous for growing tea because it has the perfect weather and different elevations (how high up a place is). Most of the tea grown here is the Camellia sinensis var. assamica type.

Tea is super important for Sri Lanka's economy. It brings in a lot of money from other countries. In 2021, it made over $1.3 billion! Tea farming also provides jobs for more than 1 million people. Many families depend on growing tea on small farms.

Sri Lanka is the fourth-largest tea producer in the world. In 1995, it was the top country for exporting tea, sending out 23% of all tea sold globally. The country produced the most tea in 2013, with 340 million kilograms.

The cool, wet weather in Sri Lanka's central mountains helps grow high-quality tea. Tea from lower areas, like Matara and Galle, has a stronger taste. This tea is very popular in the Middle East. Sri Lanka mainly makes black teas, but also white and green teas.

The tea industry started in Sri Lanka in 1867. A British planter named James Taylor brought it to the island. Growing tea on smaller family farms became popular in the 1970s. Sri Lankan tea is sold all over the world, especially in the Middle East and Europe.

History of Tea in Sri Lanka
- How Tea Farming Grew
Where Sri Lankan Tea Goes
- Money from Tea Exports
Tea Branding and Quality
Tea Research and Development
- The Tea Research Institute
Making Tea Sustainable
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History of Tea in Sri Lanka

An old Ceylon tea tin

Tea farming began in Sri Lanka (then called Ceylon) a long time ago. Before tea, coffee was the main crop. But a disease wiped out most of the coffee plants in the 1860s.

This is when James Taylor stepped in. He had arrived in Sri Lanka in 1852. In 1867, he started the first tea plantation on a large farm called Loolecondera Estate. He showed everyone how to grow and process tea.

How Tea Farming Grew

Henry Randolph Trafford, an early tea farmer in Ceylon

Over the years, more and more land was used for tea. This table shows how much land was used for tea farms at different heights:

Year	High areas (hectares)	Medium areas (hectares)	Low areas (hectares)	Total (hectares)	Total (square miles)
1959	74,581	66,711	46,101	187,393	723.5
1960	79,586	69,482	48,113	197,181	761.3
1961	76,557	97,521	63,644	237,722	917.8
1962	76,707	97,857	64,661	239,225	923.7
1963	76,157	95,691	65,862	237,710	917.8
1964	81,538	92,281	65,759	239,578	925.0
1965	87,345	92,806	60,365	240,516	928.6
1966	87,514	93,305	60,563	241,382	932.0
1967	87,520	93,872	60,945	242,337	935.7
1968	81,144	99,359	61,292	241,795	933.6
1969	81,092	98,675	61,616	241,383	932.0
1970	77,549	98,624	65,625	241,798	933.6
1971	77,936	98,624	65,625	242,185	935.1
1972	77,639	98,252	65,968	241,859	933.8
1973	77,793	98,165	66,343	242,301	935.5
1974	77,693	97,875	66,622	242,190	935.1
1975	79,337	98,446	64,099	241,882	933.9
1976	79,877	94,338	66,363	240,578	928.9
1977	79,653	94,835	67,523	242,011	934.4
1978	79,628	95,591	68,023	243,242	939.2
1979	78,614	97,084	68,401	244,099	942.5
1980	78,786	96,950	68,969	244,705	944.8
1981	78,621	96,853	69,444	244,918	945.6
1982	77,769	96,644	67,728	242,141	934.9
1983	71,959	90,272	67,834	230,065	888.3
1984	74,157	90,203	63,514	227,874	879.8
1985	74,706	89,175	67,769	231,650	894.4
1986	73,206	85,216	64,483	222,905	860.6
1987	72,773	84,445	64,280	221,498	855.2
1988	72,901	84,227	64,555	221,683	855.9
1989	73,110	84,062	64,938	222,110	857.6
1990	73,138	83,223	65,397	221,758	856.2
1991	73,331	82,467	65,893	221,691	856.0
1992	74,141	85,510	62,185	221,836	856.5
1994	51,443	56,155	79,711	187,309	723.2
1995	51,443	56,155	79,711	187,309	723.2
1996	52,272	56,863	79,836	188,971	729.6
1997	51,444	58,155	79,711	189,310	730.9
1998	51,444	58,155	79,711	189,310	730.9
2000	52,272	56,863	79,836	188,971	729.6

Where Sri Lankan Tea Goes

Sacks of tea ready to be shipped

Sri Lankan tea is sent to many countries around the world. The biggest buyers are countries that used to be part of the Soviet Union (like Russia), the United Arab Emirates, Syria, and Turkey.

Here's a look at the main countries that bought Sri Lankan tea in 2000:

Total Exports
Country	Million kilograms	Million pounds	Percent of total
CIS Countries	57.6	127.0	20
UAE	48.1	106.0	16.7
Russia	46.1	101.6	16.01
Syria	21.5	47.4	7.47
Turkey	20.3	44.8	7.05
Iran	12.5	27.6	4.34
Saudi Arabia	11.4	25.1	3.96
Iraq	11.1	24.5	3.85
UK	10.2	22.5	3.54
Egypt	10.1	22.3	3.51
Libya	10.0	22.0	3.47
Japan	8.3	18.3	2.88
Germany	5.0	11.0	1.74
Others	23.7	52.2	8.23
Total	288	634.9	100

Money from Tea Exports

The tea industry brings in a lot of money for Sri Lanka. Here's how much money was made from tea exports in recent years:

Year	Total Money from Tea Exports (in million US$)
2019	$1,346
2020	$1,241
2021	$1,324

Tea Branding and Quality

The Lion Logo of Ceylon tea

The "Ceylon tea" brand is very important. The Sri Lanka Tea Board owns the special lion logo you see on tea packs. This logo means the tea is high quality.

For a tea pack to use the Lion logo, it must follow four rules:

It must be a consumer pack of Ceylon tea (meaning it's ready for people to buy and drink).
The pack must contain 100% pure Ceylon tea.
The tea must be packaged in Sri Lanka.
The tea brand must meet the quality standards set by the Sri Lanka Tea Board.

This logo is known worldwide as a sign of excellent tea. The Sri Lanka Tea Board even sponsors the Sri Lanka national cricket teams when they play in other countries!

Tea Research and Development

The Tea Research Institute

The Tea Research Institute (TRI) was started in 1925. It's the only national group in Sri Lanka that creates new ideas and technology for growing and processing tea. They help tea farmers and factories improve their methods.

Making Tea Sustainable

Many groups work to make sure tea farming in Sri Lanka is sustainable. This means they try to protect the environment and treat workers fairly.

Some of these groups are international, like Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, UTZ Certified, and Ethical Tea Partnership. There's also a local group called the Small Organic Farmers’ Association (SOFA) that supports organic farming.