Sri Lanka’s tea industry is trying to raise the bar by adopting sustainability standards amidst efforts to gain geographical indication (GI) recognition for its Ceylon tea.
Industry experts have hailed the moves while also calling for a concerted effort to improve the livelihoods of tea sector workers, among other issues.
An application to register Sri Lanka’s Ceylon tea as a GI is currently underway with the European Commission, according to Sri Lanka tea board acting director, promotion, Upul Priyantha. The application was submitted in September of last year. The move comes as the government-run Sri Lanka Standards Board is preparing to launch a tea sector standard next month.
These measures underpin the country’s efforts to tell the world about the uniqueness that sets Ceylon tea apart from other types of teas. Ceylon is both the brand of tea produced in Sri Lanka and a historic term describing tea from that land.
Describing the basis on which Ceylon tea would qualify for GI, Priyantha said that “the quality of Ceylon tea relies on its delimitated geographical area. The climate, soil, and topography specificities of the delimitated geographical area gives Ceylon tea both physical and organoleptic [(involving the sense organs)] recognizable characteristics.”
Priyantha continued, “Located on a tropical island (between 5° 55' to 9° 51' north latitude and between 79° 42' to 81° 53' east longitude) Ceylon tea cultivation extends over an altitude gradient ranging from sea level up to high altitudes (above 1200 meters)."
Therefore, within the country’s tea sector, it is common to refer to Ceylon tea growing area by their altitude, namely: the “low country” (ranging from sea level to 600m), “mid country” (600m to 1200m) and “up country” (above 1200m).
The amount of rainfall plays a key role in deciding its taste: Ceylon tea is defined by an important diversity in climate in the tea-growing areas. The rainfall pattern is distinct with two seasons, the southwest monsoon from May to September, and the northeast monsoon from December to February, followed by inter-monsoonal rains covering the whole island (March-April and October-November).
The central mountains in the country act as a divider, which results in different periods of rainfall on either side of the mountains, explained Priyantha. “The amount of rainfall and its distributions are the most important factors that affect the productivity of tea,” he said.
Priyantha said the number of rainless days in the wet zone is very small compared to the total number of rainy days in a year. The mean annual sunshine duration in the wet zone ranges from 4.9 to 6.4 hours per day depending on the location.
All these factors, “complex topography, combined with changing weather patterns over the span of a year, generate favourable conditions for tea cultivation resulting in year-round production, resulting in the unique and complex taste of Ceylon tea,” said Priyantha.
Anusha Kotalawala, the head of Unilever Ceytea instant tea factory in the central province of Agarapathana, says work is underway locally to launch a tea sector standard as the country awaits the GI certification. “The proposed tea standard and associated programs will help develop a more resilient industry, covering the complete value chain in-country,” she said.
The initiative, led by the ministry of plantation and community infrastructure, will include, “the statutory requirements and guidelines that already exist linked to farming, production, and quality control for tea, branded as Ceylon Tea," said Kotalawala. "Besides, the new standard will also adopt some improved processes linked to good agricultural practices (regenerative agriculture & deforestation free tea supply) and other areas, which adds value to the commodity offered for sale, whilst also giving added benefits to the producer and farmers engaged into this voluntary scheme. While the tea standard will incorporate 'nationally accepted processes,' it will also build in components which are important in linking it to the internationally acceptable level, by getting the membership of ISEAL Alliance.”
ISEAL is an independent membership organization for sustainability systems and accreditation bodies. A spokesperson from ISEAL said its work focuses on credible practices, and they “define these practices based on emerging global consensus. The ISEAL Code defines the requirements of effective and credible sustainability systems."
"Surely, certification matters when it comes to ensuring standards, but it should not be seen as a silver bullet,” said a spokesperson from the Rainforest Alliance.
Research has shown that credible certification programs lead to tangible benefits, such as improved worker well-being and livelihoods, increased yields and prices for farmers, and improvements in ecosystem quality. Certification is an important part of the solution, and “it is one of the most successful and proven tools available for driving progress towards sustainability practices and an important part of the solution,” continued the Rainforest Alliance spokesperson. "[Certification] can help mitigate risks and promote responsible practices, however, it cannot by itself solve any country’s entrenched socioeconomic problems.”
In Sri Lanka, the Rainforest Alliance has been working very closely with tea producers as well as supply chain actors to find solutions to sectoral challenges. “For example, together with the Centre for Child Rights and Business (CSO) in Sri Lanka, the Rainforest Alliance has developed a program focused on empowering ‘Gender Champions’ in the tea estate community to voice any issues that arise relating to their working or living conditions,” the spokesperson said.
The estate managements in Sri Lanka have shown keen interest in this program, which has now been completed on 18 estates with an additional 13 estates joining the program this month. “This demonstrates the industry’s commitment to addressing the social issues facing workers on Sri Lankan tea estates,” said the spokesperson.
Beyond certification, our work is to “address the root causes of the issues in tea production, but this needs to be an ongoing joint effort with producers, governments, companies, NGOs, and consumers,” the spokesperson said.
An issue that requires a concerted effort is the Malaiyaha Tamil worker community working in the tea sector. "[They] lag behind national averages in nearly all human development indicators, like poverty, maternal and child mortality, malnutrition, health, education, access to water, sanitation, government services, and infrastructure," said Anithra Varia, South Asia researcher and representative at Business & Human Rights Resource Centre based in the UK.
Despite playing a key role in the economy for over 150 years, most are still denied land rights and continue to languish in barrack-style line rooms that have existed for over a century. "[Tea’s 'sustainability'] rings hollow without the long-overdue inclusion of workers’ rights, especially as the climate crisis unfolds," said Varia.
There are other challenges: The Rainforest Alliance called for a global coalition among key tea-producing countries to help balance export supply and address the persistent challenge of inadequate pricing in Sri Lanka's tea sector. “We believe sectorwide commitment is the only way to drive change,” the Rainforest Alliance spokesperson said.
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