China to help Sri Lanka increase market for black teas

By APD writer Easwaran

COLOMBO, Dec. 14 (APD) – China has offered to help Sri Lanka improve the market of black teas in China, a Minister said on Thursday.

Plantation Industries Minister Navin Dissanayake told APD that China has offered to help Sri Lanka increase the market share provided Sri Lanka helps China with the technical aspects of setting up an auction for their green teas.

Dissanayake this week sought and obtained approval from the cabinet to prepare a proper Programme in this regard and to enter into an agreement for holding Tea auctions in China.

In September this year the Sri Lanka tea industry made remarkable in-roads to the world’s largest tea consuming market, China with a spectacular performance in the global Selenium capital of Enshi at Hubei Province.

Sri Lanka Tea Industry which celebrated the 150 years anniversary in the island nation with a mega program recently, elevated the awareness of the Orthodox Ceylon Black Tea Grades and Agro-climatic Regions among the Chinese society to anew level with the tea auction performed in Hubei Province.

It has been acknowledged by political leaders of both nations, that Sri Lanka’s trade with China goes back as far as 3,000 years due to the ancient Maritime Silk Route.

The “Belt and Road” Initiative advocated by China is consistent with the Sri Lanka’s policy on the “Strategic Cooperation Partnership” between the two countries.

The geographic location of the island is also ideally placed to operate as a hub in the Indian Ocean and compliment the Chinese “Belt and Road” strategy.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)