• Latest
  • Trending

“Who has brought tea plantations to the brink of collapse?”

February 4, 2020
Role of Diasporas in the contemporary world

Role of Diasporas in the contemporary world

March 28, 2023
Three foreign firms to enter Sri Lanka’s fuel market

Three foreign firms to enter Sri Lanka’s fuel market

March 27, 2023
Sri Lanka’s anti-terrorism bill has significant flaws  

Sri Lanka’s anti-terrorism bill has significant flaws  

March 27, 2023
Gold. Image credits - Jingming Pan / Unsplash

Gold prices in Sri Lanka

March 27, 2023
India - Sri Lanka

Travel to India in 50$?

March 27, 2023
IPL2023

BCCI to ban Sri Lanka and Bangladesh players from IPL?

March 27, 2023
Manchester United. Image credits - Javid Naderi / Unsplash

Qatar’s Al Thani submits new US$6 billion bid for Manchester United

March 26, 2023
Permission granted for anyone to sell goods on the roadside during festive season – Minister

Permission granted for anyone to sell goods on the roadside during festive season – Minister

March 26, 2023
Towards a sustainable Sri Lankan foreign policy

Towards a sustainable Sri Lankan foreign policy

March 26, 2023
UNHRC periodic report on Lanka wants executive power clipped

UNHRC periodic report on Lanka wants executive power clipped

March 25, 2023
Water cut. Image credits - Walter Randlehoff / Unsplash

10 hour water cut in areas of Colombo today

March 25, 2023
Milinda Moragoda meets Indian Minister of Road Transport and Highways Gadkari

Milinda Moragoda meets Indian Minister of Road Transport and Highways Gadkari

March 25, 2023
  • About Us
  • Advertisements
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
Tuesday, March 28, 2023
No Result
View All Result
NewsIn.Asia
  • Home
  • Around South Asia
    • All
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
    Role of Diasporas in the contemporary world

    Role of Diasporas in the contemporary world

    Three foreign firms to enter Sri Lanka’s fuel market

    Three foreign firms to enter Sri Lanka’s fuel market

    Sri Lanka’s anti-terrorism bill has significant flaws  

    Sri Lanka’s anti-terrorism bill has significant flaws  

    Gold. Image credits - Jingming Pan / Unsplash

    Gold prices in Sri Lanka

    India - Sri Lanka

    Travel to India in 50$?

    IPL2023

    BCCI to ban Sri Lanka and Bangladesh players from IPL?

    Permission granted for anyone to sell goods on the roadside during festive season – Minister

    Permission granted for anyone to sell goods on the roadside during festive season – Minister

    Towards a sustainable Sri Lankan foreign policy

    Towards a sustainable Sri Lankan foreign policy

    UNHRC periodic report on Lanka wants executive power clipped

    UNHRC periodic report on Lanka wants executive power clipped

  • World
    • All
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
    India - Sri Lanka

    Travel to India in 50$?

    Manchester United. Image credits - Javid Naderi / Unsplash

    Qatar’s Al Thani submits new US$6 billion bid for Manchester United

    Ramadan. Image credits - Andrew Lancaster / Unsplash

    Ramadan 2023: Fasting hours and iftar times around the world

    Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin

    China calls on Western lenders to ease debt pressure on developing countries

    Canada sees record population growth in 2022 from immigration

    Canada sees record population growth in 2022 from immigration

    Ukraine

    IMF staff reaches agreement with Ukraine for $15.6 bln program

    The Weeknd

    The Weeknd is the world’s most popular artist, Guinness World Records says

    Manchester United. Image credits - Javid Naderi / Unsplash

    Manchester United is for sale, who could buy the world-famous club?

    Whatsapp. Image credits - AARN GIRI / Unsplash

    WhatsApp for iOS gets text detection feature: What is it and how to use

  • Business
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Books
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Series
    The gran who couldn’t: Indu Balachandran’s latest book is for readers of all ages

    The gran who couldn’t: Indu Balachandran’s latest book is for readers of all ages

    The Weeknd

    The Weeknd is the world’s most popular artist, Guinness World Records says

    Naatu Naatu has millions of views on YouTube and is a viral sensation over social media

    Watch: Oscar winning song Naatu Naatu

    Naatu Naatu has millions of views on YouTube and is a viral sensation over social media

    Indian song ‘Naatu Naatu’ from ‘RRR’ wins Oscar award for best song

    Naatu Naatu has millions of views on YouTube and is a viral sensation over social media

    Naatu Naatu: The RRR song primed for Oscar history

    Keanu Reeves

    11 of the best films to watch in March

    Netflix. Image credits - Souvik Banerjee @rswebsols / Unsplash

    Netflix cuts prices for subscribers in more than 30 countries

    Backstreet Boys

    Backstreet Boys to perform in India after 13 years

    Roald Dahl books

    Roald Dahl books rewritten to remove language deemed offensive

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Science
    • Travel
    Happy. Image credits - Lesly Juarez / Unsplash

    The world’s happiest countries for 2023

    Nepal. Image credits - Toomas Tartes / Unsplash

    Nepal bans solo trekkers throughout the country

    Air quality drops to ‘unhealthy’ level in Colombo

    Air quality drops to ‘unhealthy’ level in Colombo

    Scientists discover enzyme that turns air into electricity, providing a new clean source of energy

    Scientists discover enzyme that turns air into electricity, providing a new clean source of energy

    Toblerone chocolates

    Toblerone chocolates to lose “Swissness” criteria

    Significant increase of overweight and obese individuals in Sri Lanka

    Significant increase of overweight and obese individuals in Sri Lanka

    Vistara airlines to resume operations to Sri Lanka

    Vistara airlines to resume operations to Sri Lanka

    International airlines suspend some US flights over 5G uncertainty

    Saying no to inflight meals can help our planet

    Sri Lanka

    Where are 2023s tourists to Sri Lanka coming from?

    Hazardous health: Jaffna’s growing waste crisis

    Hazardous health: Jaffna’s growing waste crisis

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
  • Tech
    Whatsapp. Image credits - AARN GIRI / Unsplash

    WhatsApp for iOS gets text detection feature: What is it and how to use

    Nokia

    Nokia changes iconic logo to signal strategy shift

    Selena Gomez and Kylie Jenner

    Selena Gomez dethrones Kylie Jenner on Instagram

    Facebook. Image credits - Solen Feyissa @solenfeyissa

    Facebook & Instagram to test monthly subscription service priced at $11.99

    Whatsapp. Image credits - AARN GIRI / Unsplash

    New features introduced in Whatsapp’s latest update

    Microsoft has announced a new version of Bing

    Microsoft unveils new Bing with ChatGPT powers

    Trending Tags

    • Sillicon Valley
    • Climate Change
    • Election Results
    • Flat Earth
    • Golden Globes
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Mr. Robot
  • Coronavirus
  • Videos
  • Home
  • Around South Asia
    • All
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
    Role of Diasporas in the contemporary world

    Role of Diasporas in the contemporary world

    Three foreign firms to enter Sri Lanka’s fuel market

    Three foreign firms to enter Sri Lanka’s fuel market

    Sri Lanka’s anti-terrorism bill has significant flaws  

    Sri Lanka’s anti-terrorism bill has significant flaws  

    Gold. Image credits - Jingming Pan / Unsplash

    Gold prices in Sri Lanka

    India - Sri Lanka

    Travel to India in 50$?

    IPL2023

    BCCI to ban Sri Lanka and Bangladesh players from IPL?

    Permission granted for anyone to sell goods on the roadside during festive season – Minister

    Permission granted for anyone to sell goods on the roadside during festive season – Minister

    Towards a sustainable Sri Lankan foreign policy

    Towards a sustainable Sri Lankan foreign policy

    UNHRC periodic report on Lanka wants executive power clipped

    UNHRC periodic report on Lanka wants executive power clipped

  • World
    • All
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
    India - Sri Lanka

    Travel to India in 50$?

    Manchester United. Image credits - Javid Naderi / Unsplash

    Qatar’s Al Thani submits new US$6 billion bid for Manchester United

    Ramadan. Image credits - Andrew Lancaster / Unsplash

    Ramadan 2023: Fasting hours and iftar times around the world

    Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin

    China calls on Western lenders to ease debt pressure on developing countries

    Canada sees record population growth in 2022 from immigration

    Canada sees record population growth in 2022 from immigration

    Ukraine

    IMF staff reaches agreement with Ukraine for $15.6 bln program

    The Weeknd

    The Weeknd is the world’s most popular artist, Guinness World Records says

    Manchester United. Image credits - Javid Naderi / Unsplash

    Manchester United is for sale, who could buy the world-famous club?

    Whatsapp. Image credits - AARN GIRI / Unsplash

    WhatsApp for iOS gets text detection feature: What is it and how to use

  • Business
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Books
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Series
    The gran who couldn’t: Indu Balachandran’s latest book is for readers of all ages

    The gran who couldn’t: Indu Balachandran’s latest book is for readers of all ages

    The Weeknd

    The Weeknd is the world’s most popular artist, Guinness World Records says

    Naatu Naatu has millions of views on YouTube and is a viral sensation over social media

    Watch: Oscar winning song Naatu Naatu

    Naatu Naatu has millions of views on YouTube and is a viral sensation over social media

    Indian song ‘Naatu Naatu’ from ‘RRR’ wins Oscar award for best song

    Naatu Naatu has millions of views on YouTube and is a viral sensation over social media

    Naatu Naatu: The RRR song primed for Oscar history

    Keanu Reeves

    11 of the best films to watch in March

    Netflix. Image credits - Souvik Banerjee @rswebsols / Unsplash

    Netflix cuts prices for subscribers in more than 30 countries

    Backstreet Boys

    Backstreet Boys to perform in India after 13 years

    Roald Dahl books

    Roald Dahl books rewritten to remove language deemed offensive

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Science
    • Travel
    Happy. Image credits - Lesly Juarez / Unsplash

    The world’s happiest countries for 2023

    Nepal. Image credits - Toomas Tartes / Unsplash

    Nepal bans solo trekkers throughout the country

    Air quality drops to ‘unhealthy’ level in Colombo

    Air quality drops to ‘unhealthy’ level in Colombo

    Scientists discover enzyme that turns air into electricity, providing a new clean source of energy

    Scientists discover enzyme that turns air into electricity, providing a new clean source of energy

    Toblerone chocolates

    Toblerone chocolates to lose “Swissness” criteria

    Significant increase of overweight and obese individuals in Sri Lanka

    Significant increase of overweight and obese individuals in Sri Lanka

    Vistara airlines to resume operations to Sri Lanka

    Vistara airlines to resume operations to Sri Lanka

    International airlines suspend some US flights over 5G uncertainty

    Saying no to inflight meals can help our planet

    Sri Lanka

    Where are 2023s tourists to Sri Lanka coming from?

    Hazardous health: Jaffna’s growing waste crisis

    Hazardous health: Jaffna’s growing waste crisis

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
  • Tech
    Whatsapp. Image credits - AARN GIRI / Unsplash

    WhatsApp for iOS gets text detection feature: What is it and how to use

    Nokia

    Nokia changes iconic logo to signal strategy shift

    Selena Gomez and Kylie Jenner

    Selena Gomez dethrones Kylie Jenner on Instagram

    Facebook. Image credits - Solen Feyissa @solenfeyissa

    Facebook & Instagram to test monthly subscription service priced at $11.99

    Whatsapp. Image credits - AARN GIRI / Unsplash

    New features introduced in Whatsapp’s latest update

    Microsoft has announced a new version of Bing

    Microsoft unveils new Bing with ChatGPT powers

    Trending Tags

    • Sillicon Valley
    • Climate Change
    • Election Results
    • Flat Earth
    • Golden Globes
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Mr. Robot
  • Coronavirus
  • Videos
NewsIn.Asia
No Result
View All Result
Home Business

“Who has brought tea plantations to the brink of collapse?”

Plantation companies' failure to replant and not rising workers' wages which led to the downfall of the Lankan tea industry.

Editor by Editor
February 4, 2020
in Business, Development news, Economy, Recommend, Sri Lanka
Reading Time: 5 mins read
7 1
A A
87
SHARES
Share on WhatsApp

By P.K.Balachandran/Daily Mirror

If the tea industry is on the brink of collapse now, it is not because of the rise in workers’ wages but because of the big plantation companies’ failure to replant periodically to increase the yield, asserts Ramiah Yogarajan, a trade unionist who had represented the Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) and the United National Party (UNP) in the Sri Lankan parliament.

Yogarajan, who cut his teeth in trade unionism and politics under the redoubtable Savumyamurthy Thondaman, was commenting on the Regional Plantation Companies’ (RPC’s) prediction that the tea industry will collapse due to the Rs. 1000 daily wage proposed by the trade unions for the past several years and which has finally been approved by the Lankan cabinet at the suggestion of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

ADVERTISEMENT

“The industry is anyway destined to collapse in a few years, but it will not be because of the workers’ wage increase but due to the RPC’s trying to make money with minimum inputs, totally neglecting the interest of the estates,” Yogarajan told this writer.

He pointed out that unlike the small tea garden holders particularly in South Sri Lanka, who have replanted and maintained their estates in prime condition, the RPCs have not.

“The yield in the small holdings of the South is 2300 Kg per hectare, while in the RPC estates it is around 1000 Kg per hectare. The total annual production by the small holders and RPCs is in the ratio 70:30, a reversal from the historic 30:70,” Yogarajan pointed out.

“The workers are always willing to bring in the crop. They do not leave any tender leaf un-plucked and deliberately bring in less. In the small holdings in the South, the workers pluck 24 to 26 Kg per day as the norm, whereas in the upcountry in the RPCs, it is 16 to 18 Kg. This is only because there is no flush in the RPC-held big estates,” Yogarajan said.

He recalled the words of wisdom uttered by a captain of the tea industry,  Mahendra Amarasuriya, in a speech he delivered at the Planters’ Association in 2012. Amarasuriya said: “Regarding human productivity there are many challenges. Firstly, until the crop yields are increased one cannot expect workers to harvest more than what is potentially available in the fields. The logical means of increasing productivity of plantations is replanting in both Tea and Rubber.”

Hence the whole blame for the deterioration of the tea industry has to be placed at the door of the RPCs, Yogarajan underlined.

“The RPCs, which cover a sprawling 5000 to 7000 hectares, were sold to private companies by the government in 1992-93 for a mere Rs. 100 million in the hope that the companies (mostly in trade) would invest in replanting and development. But the companies have merely taken the crop with minimum input and sold for profits. In addition, they have also exploited the timber and scrap for cash flow,” he charged.

Consultant R.K. Nathaniel writing in The Island of January 26, 2005, had said that a survey conducted by the Tea Research Institute (TRI)  in 2003, ten years after the plantations were privatized, showed that only 0.7% had been replanted by the RPCs.

The pace of replanting in the past decade, was the greatest in the low country, at 0.98% per year of the total tea extent; followed by high country at 0.81%, mid-country at 0.49%, and was the lowest in the Uva region at 0.44 %, Nathaniel said, and added that it is adequately documented and commonly accepted that if the industry is to keep pace with the rate of ageing, and decline in the productivity of the older seedling tea, then re-planting should proceed at a minimum of 2% per annum of the total extent of tea. This is based on the premise that replacement of the tea stock should take place every 50 years.

According to Yogarajan, if the RPC’s had maintained the 2% replanting rate during the 27 years that they managed the estates, 50% of the tea would have been replanted by now. The yield would have increased  and the workers could have been more productive like in the South.

Alternatives Available  

Nathaniel said that in 2005, the total land area covered by the 304 tea growing estates was 171,454 hectares, of this 29, 524 hectares were either not cultivated or were put to other use.

“A proper evaluation of such land could reveal that an appreciable extent could be identified for appropriate diversification to other environmentally suitable economic pursuits which could generate employment,” he observed.

In his 2012 address to the Planters Association, Mahendra Amarasuriya had suggested the planting of cinnamon, nutmeg, areca nut, oil palm or whatever depending upon the prevailing agro-climatic conditions.

Strategies To Meet Replanting Expense

RPCs say that re-planting is expensive. But there are ways to get round this problem. Nathaniel suggested that the government could fund it with the support of an international donor agency till such time a satisfactory and sustainable Revolving Fund is established by the RPCs themselves. The amount drawn from the Revolving Fund could be paid back, interest free, into the fund after a period of say four years so that the fund is regularly replenished, he said.

In 2012, Amarasuriya told the Planters’ Association that cultivable land not used by an RPC could be given to the workers on a contractual basis to plant tea with the facilitation of the company concerned.

Since the worker has at least a partial hold on the land, he will look after it and the crop which he grows. He will also replant on time and keep his livelihood sustained over time. Migration from the tea plantations to the urban areas for work with better pay will come down and the danger of a labor shortage in the plantations will be staved off.

However, there is a catch in this. Amarasuriya warned that this scheme could run into a political storm given the reluctance of the Sri Lankan political system to give land to the estate workers even on a time-bound contractual basis. The trade unions too could resist because workers would become cultivators and loosen their links with the unions in the process.

Yogarajan’s Proposal

Developing on Amarasuriya’s proposal, R.Yogarajan said that unused estate land could be given to the worker on a contract for a fixed period and on the condition that the worker supplies tea leaves only to the company from which he had taken the land on contract.

“This will not amount to handing over ownership of the land to the workers. At any rate, the ownership will lie ultimately with the government as the RPCs themselves are holding their estates on a lease from the government,” Yogarajan pointed out.

With growing, plucking and replanting being done by the workers in their allotted small plots, the RPCs’ expenditure on these works and labor will come down, he added. Yogarajan is hoping to taking up his proposal with the highest echelons of the Gotabaya-Mahinda  Rajapaksa government at the earliest.

Productivity Linked Wages  

The RPC’s have for long advocated a productivity-based wage structure. But fixing it assumes uniformity in the plantations, Yogarajan pointed out. “Apart from the wage, all other parameters will have to be equal for a uniform payment system to work. But conditions vary from estate field to estate field, due to the age of the bushes or trees and other agricultural inputs and practices. Under this circumstance, it is not possible to fix an all-industry productivity norm. It may be feasible in an industry where conditions are controllable,” he said.

The late Dr.N.Yogaratnam, a plantations expert, had written that there is academic evidence that performance-related pay does not work when it is applied to any work involving “cognitive rather than physical skill.”

“Research has repeatedly demonstrated that when the task is mechanical and purely physical, performance-related pay works. However, once even rudimentary cognitive skills are required, it does not work and actually leads to frustration and poor performance. Tea plucking is not entirely mechanical. It requires cognitive skills,” Yogaratnam said.

(The  featured image at the top shows R.Yogarajan listening to the problems of tea plantation workers)

 

Related Posts

Role of Diasporas in the contemporary world
China

Role of Diasporas in the contemporary world

March 28, 2023
Three foreign firms to enter Sri Lanka’s fuel market
Around South Asia

Three foreign firms to enter Sri Lanka’s fuel market

March 27, 2023
Sri Lanka’s anti-terrorism bill has significant flaws  
Around South Asia

Sri Lanka’s anti-terrorism bill has significant flaws  

March 27, 2023
Gold. Image credits - Jingming Pan / Unsplash
Around South Asia

Gold prices in Sri Lanka

March 27, 2023
India - Sri Lanka
Around South Asia

Travel to India in 50$?

March 27, 2023
Permission granted for anyone to sell goods on the roadside during festive season – Minister
Around South Asia

Permission granted for anyone to sell goods on the roadside during festive season – Minister

March 26, 2023
  • Electricity

    Power cut schedule for today in Sri Lanka: Uninterrupted power supply

    60151 shares
    Share 24083 Tweet 15029
  • Registration open for National Fuel Pass

    6636 shares
    Share 2692 Tweet 1644
  • Foreign Currency Official Exchange Rates from Central Bank of Sri Lanka

    1797 shares
    Share 725 Tweet 447
  • WATCH : Yohani’s first live performance in India

    789 shares
    Share 328 Tweet 192
  • Power interruption schedule released: Check your area power cut time

    742 shares
    Share 320 Tweet 176
  • About Us
  • Advertisements
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

© 2022 All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Around South Asia
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
  • Around The World
  • Breaking News
  • Business
    • Exchange
  • Climate Change
  • Governance
    • Crime
    • Diplomacy
    • Defense
    • Human Rights
    • Politics
    • Strategic Affairs
  • Lifestyle
    • Books
    • Entertainment
      • Arts
      • Cinema
      • Gaming
      • Music
      • Movie
      • Series
      • TV
    • Health
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Travel
  • Culture
    • Ethnicity
    • Gender
  • Development news
  • Economy
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Coronavirus
  • History
  • National
  • Offbeat
    • Media
    • Music and arts across South Asia
  • Recommended
    • Headlines
    • Highlights
    • Top Picture
    • Top Story
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Cricket
      • LPL
      • IPL
    • Tennis
    • Formula 1
    • NBA
  • Tech
    • Instagram
  • United Nations
  • Weather
  • World
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • United States
  • Videos

© 2022 All rights reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

eskisehir escort -

https://www.vudols.com/

- Sağlık Personeli - mersin escort - Antalya korsan taksi