Sri Lanka: Tracing the origins of Ceylon tea

[Zibago]

Sri Lanka: Tracing the origins of Ceylon tea

The tea plantations in the highlands of Sri Lanka supply the leaves that fill tea cups across the globe.
Lisa Golden, Sorin Furcoi | 27 Jan 2016 11:02 GMT | Poverty & Development, Business & Economy, Asia

Engagement: 1888
Nuwara Eliya District, Sri Lanka - Tea is the most consumed beverage in the world after water. But the drink, which is the mainstay of many cultures, is subject to the same volatile market forces as oil or gold.

Sri Lanka is the world’s fourth largest exporter of tea, behind China, India and Kenya, and relies on the industry to employ formally and informally one million of it’s 20.6 million people, according to the Sri Lanka Tea Board. Tea accounts for 17 percent of Sri Lanka’s exports.

The largest importer of Ceylon tea is Russia and other members for the Commonwealth of Independent States. Iran, Iraq and Syria were some of the biggest consumers of Sri Lankan tea, and conflict in these areas has put a strain on the industry, according to the Tea Board report. China’s recent economic troubles, as well as low oil prices in another large importer, the United Arab Emirates, mean that tea exports could face another hit in 2016.

Market analysts observe, however, that there is significant growth in tea consumption in large markets such as the United States, where health-conscious consumers are looking for better alternatives to sugary fizzy drinks and young, wealthy millennials are showing interest in speciality teas. There is also growing demand for "ready-to-drink" tea products.

Sri Lanka’s picturesque tea plantations lie in the highlands, mostly in the province of Nuwara Eliya. At 1260m above sea level, the high altitudes, long rainy seasons and humidity make the perfect conditions for growing tea. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]

Women plantation workers collect the top tiers of the leaves and the most delicate shoots, which are used to make white and green Ceylon tea. The availability of labour to hand-pick this delicate tea adds to the high-end value of the market. Women are paid about $5 for 18 kg of tea. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]

Sri Lanka had the fastest-growing economy in South Asia in 2014, according to a World Bank report. Currently 30 percent of its workforce is in primary agriculture. Sri Lanka passed most of its Millennium Development Goals and economic growth has benefited the poorest in society. Unemployment is low, at 4.4 percent. Analysts credit the past five years of growth as a 'peace dividend' after almost 30 years of civil war. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]

Most tea plantation workers are fourth generation immigrant Indian Tamils. Colonial British plantation owners brought workers as a cheap workforce from south India in the 1850s to work on the tea estates. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]

While estates differ, labour unions have fought to make living conditions better. Workers can grow their own vegetables and creche and primary school facilities are available for workers' children. In 2009, the unions joined together to demand higher wages and the average salary doubled. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]

 

[Zibago]

Men earn the same daily rate of $5 but collect only 14 kg of tea. They are expected to contribute to the maintenance of the estate. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]

Malnutrition among children on the estates is at 43 percent, significantly higher than the national average of 10 percent. Low birth weight and malnutrition in both mother and baby lead to cognitive disability and physically slow growth. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]

Women have to collect 18kg of delicate tea leaves to receive their daily pay of $5. Anything under 18kg brings their wage down to $3. Each additional kilogramme over the 18kg weight is priced at 20 rupees (about 14 cents). [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
..

 

[Zibago]

Tea from the plantations arrives in the factories in the late evening, where it is set out under alternating hot and cold fans to dry for 10 hours. The delicate white and green teas are removed while the rest of the black tea is crushed, sieved and left to ferment for three hours. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]

The fermented black tea is then separated through various sieves into the crushed black leaves used for tea. The tea stalks are collected, packed together for fertiliser and sent back to the tea plantations. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]

One of the first machines used in this factory was imported from Ireland in 1950, and runs on firewood. It dries the leaves for 20 minutes under 100C. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]

Some of the tea leaves are further purified under this colour separator machine. A much newer addition, this machine uses light sensors to detect and separate pure black tea from the crushed brown stalks. The final product is the purest of the black Ceylon teas. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
..

The tea is graded and priced on the level it needs to be crushed. Small pieces with a strong taste are cheaper and drunk by the locals. The unfermented silver tip and gold tip white tea is the most expensive. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
.

Sri Lanka is the world’s fourth largest tea exporter. Its main buyers are Russia, Syria, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirate. Conflict in the Middle East has caused a drop in demand for the tea, placing a lot of stress on the industry. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]

Women tea plantation workers head out in the early hours of the morning and must collect 18kg of tea leaves by 5pm. Leeches can be a pest to the pickers, who can also be attacked by occasional swarms of bees. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Sri Lanka: Tracing the origins of Ceylon tea - Al Jazeera English
@Ammara Chaudhry @EAK @Ray_of_Hope @django @MaarKhoor @jamahir @Shamain @BDforever

 

[jamahir]

@Zibago , thanks for posting the article and tagging me... though 'al jazeera' is pro-nato and pro-capitalist in most matters, this article brings out the economic and work-time problems behind the famous ceylon tea.

it is so unfair/unjust that the female estate workers have to consistently pick 18 kgs of tea leaf each for them to earn 5 usa dollars ( 344 sri lanka rupees ) every day and per month they make just a bit more than 10,000 sri lanka rupees... and these are wages that have been doubled after agitation in 2009 !!

and if each female workers picks less than 18 kgs her daily wage is three usa dollars.

and this after all the risk of bee attack and leech bite and all the walking and working in the sun, the rains and the damp... no company provisions for protective clothing and transportation.

ridiculous !!

and since sri lanka is not a actual socialist country, obtaining of food depends entirely on availability of money with the citizens and the intention of the government... hence the poor wages and the poor living conditions of these tea estate workers leads to malnutrition, even among the children as described in the article.

this is similar to conditions in the indian tea estates... in the famous darjeeling tea estates ( north eastern india, west bengal state ), there was similar malnutrition and in recent years when the tea estates were being sold off by the private owners, the workers had many hunger deaths[1] that came to light in late 2014 and not only hunger deaths but malnutrition-related conditions like tuberculosis and extreme weakness... all this while the indian government was busy buying and talking to buy western weapons ( india is the largest importer of military systems in the world )... in india, after the 1998 winning of bjp to central government prime ministership, in most indian states no dog in india went hungry or went punished even after killing people, but the tea estate workers who picked the world-famous darjeeling tea had deaths by hunger !! come on, there was no famine in india or the world for these people to die... it was simply capitalism at work !!

@DESERT FIGHTER , this is what happens when such thing are privatized.

@Gibbs

 

[Zibago]

@Zibago , thanks for posting the article and tagging me... though 'al jazeera' is pro-nato and pro-capitalist in most matters, this article brings out the economic and work-time problems behind the famous ceylon tea.

it is so unfair/unjust that the female estate workers have to consistently pick 18 kgs of tea leaf each for them to earn 5 usa dollars ( 344 sri lanka rupees ) every day and per month they make just a bit more than 10,000 sri lanka rupees... and these are wages that have been doubled after agitation in 2009 !!

and if each female workers picks less than 18 kgs her daily wage is three usa dollars.

and this after all the risk of bee attack and leech bite and all the walking and working in the sun, the rains and the damp... no company provisions for protective clothing and transportation.

ridiculous !!

and since sri lanka is not a actual socialist country, obtaining of food depends entirely on availability of money with the citizens and the intention of the government... hence the poor wages and the poor living conditions of these tea estate workers leads to malnutrition, even among the children as described in the article.

this is similar to conditions in the indian tea estates... in the famous darjeeling tea estates ( north eastern india, west bengal state ), there was similar malnutrition and in recent years when the tea estates were being sold off by the private owners, the workers had many hunger deaths[1] that came to light in late 2014 and not only hunger deaths but malnutrition-related conditions like tuberculosis and extreme weakness... all this while the indian government was busy buying and talking to buy western weapons ( india is the largest importer of military systems in the world )... in india, after the 1998 winning of bjp to central government prime ministership, in most indian states no dog in india went hungry or went punished even after killing people, but the tea estate workers who picked the world-famous darjeeling tea had deaths by hunger !! come on, there was no famine in india or the world for these people to die... it was simply capitalism at work !!

@DESERT FIGHTER , this is what happens when such thing are privatized.

@Gibbs

Unfortunately its same everywhere landlords make a killing of a profit on farms in Pakistan but their workers look like poster kids for save Africa UN campaigns they neck deep in debt and they have basically signed off their exostance to their land lords

 

[jamahir]

Unfortunately its same everywhere landlords make a killing of a profit on farms in Pakistan but their workers look like poster kids for save Africa UN campaigns they neck deep in debt and they have basically signed off their exostance to their land lords

good example.

and feudalism and economic oppression should have been a thing of the past decades ago but still exists.

 

[Zibago]

good example.

and feudalism and economic oppression should have been a thing of the past decades ago but still exists.

There is this collusion of media tycoons,industrialists and politicians that keep them under shackles but i guess banning sheeshas is more important than banning these open air prisons

 

[Zibago]

Eventually the trace will lead to our Dharmic Brothers,Bharat and our Dharmic Bretheren ,Sri Lanka,Nepal,Bhutan.Maldives too.

WE HAVE A DUTY, TO BRING OUR PEOPLE HOME! SOUTH OR NORTH, THEY ARE OUR PEOPLE!
Let our People come they know how to( see the wheat from the chaff) Even if they cannot,then we have enough space, if you have would have only prayed for the best of this world! That is your only prayer!


Bhai,mere, Apne dil se poonch lo, kya karne aaye ho yaha?You will get your answer after you had your fun.

Tujhe kiya mein jo marzi post karoan

 

[Gibbs]

The situation of Indian origin Tamils or Plantation Tamils of Sri Lanka is not as black and white as this pictorial essay tries to depict, There are a lot of complexities

For most part this community is highly unionized under their representative political parties, Who in turn tries to keep quite ironically in the same economic and social conditions, For motives of not loosing their voting blocks

Ceylon Workers' Congress - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And the so called Sri Lankan Tamil polity for years were reluctant to recognize these people of their own, Due to their ultra supremacist and casteist ideologies

But things are changing rapidly, the national govt seems to be making concerted effort to bring up the living standards of these people, Plus they get a massive amount of social welfare that other communities dont get, From free medical care, Education, Food supplements to even pediatric support systems

 

[HeinzG]

@Zibago , thanks for posting the article and tagging me... though 'al jazeera' is pro-nato and pro-capitalist in most matters, this article brings out the economic and work-time problems behind the famous ceylon tea.

it is so unfair/unjust that the female estate workers have to consistently pick 18 kgs of tea leaf each for them to earn 5 usa dollars ( 344 sri lanka rupees ) every day and per month they make just a bit more than 10,000 sri lanka rupees... and these are wages that have been doubled after agitation in 2009 !!

and if each female workers picks less than 18 kgs her daily wage is three usa dollars.

and this after all the risk of bee attack and leech bite and all the walking and working in the sun, the rains and the damp... no company provisions for protective clothing and transportation.

ridiculous !!

and since sri lanka is not a actual socialist country, obtaining of food depends entirely on availability of money with the citizens and the intention of the government... hence the poor wages and the poor living conditions of these tea estate workers leads to malnutrition, even among the children as described in the article.

this is similar to conditions in the indian tea estates... in the famous darjeeling tea estates ( north eastern india, west bengal state ), there was similar malnutrition and in recent years when the tea estates were being sold off by the private owners, the workers had many hunger deaths[1] that came to light in late 2014 and not only hunger deaths but malnutrition-related conditions like tuberculosis and extreme weakness... all this while the indian government was busy buying and talking to buy western weapons ( india is the largest importer of military systems in the world )... in india, after the 1998 winning of bjp to central government prime ministership, in most indian states no dog in india went hungry or went punished even after killing people, but the tea estate workers who picked the world-famous darjeeling tea had deaths by hunger !! come on, there was no famine in india or the world for these people to die... it was simply capitalism at work !!

@DESERT FIGHTER , this is what happens when such thing are privatized.

@Gibbs

The conditions of the state workers are not as bad as the article suggests. Though it is not also satisfactory. Even though the women earns less money it contributes heavily to their ordinary income when both the husband and wife are both working. As @ Gibbs explained they also get lot of government support in the guise of free education and free medicine. AFAIK many youngsters from the plantation areas are now having a good education level and they have started migrating towards Colombo.

 

[jamahir]

There is this collusion of media tycoons,industrialists and politicians that keep them under shackles

true about the media tycoons... their presented stories will be under guidelines from the capitalist political establishment and the industrialists will be propping up the corrupt parties of such politicians to not only hide their own anti-employee-welfare workplaces but also of the industrialists' friends.

but i guess banning sheeshas is more important than banning these open air prisons

you and your pro-sheesha agenda.

 

[Zibago]

true about the media tycoons... their presented stories will be under guidelines from the capitalist political establishment and the industrialists will be propping up the corrupt parties of such politicians to not only hide their own anti-employee-welfare workplaces but also of the industrialists' friends.



you and your pro-sheesha agenda.

Kabhi peo na strawberry apple sheesha lhir lagay ga pata

 

[jamahir]

Kabhi peo na strawberry apple sheesha lhir lagay ga pata

dhoomrpaan sehet ke liye haanikaarak hai.

for translation, i call upon @Mentee .

 

[Mentee]

dhoomrpaan sehet ke liye haanikaarak hai.

for translation, i call upon @Mentee .

smoking is injurious to health
P.S agr koe or kry

 

[jamahir]

P.S agr koe or kry

??