ethical tea

origins of tea in sri lanka

1824: British smuggled tea from China to Ceylon

1839: Tea plants from Assam and Calcutta were brought to Sri Lanka for experimentation

1867: British native James Taylor began the tea industry in Ceylon

1880s: Tea processing technology was quickly created

1965: Sri Lanka became the world’s largest tea exporter

Currently, Sri Lanka is the 3rd largest tea exporter in the world.

tea production

Humidity, cool temperatures, and rainfall make tea production easy in Sri Lanka. Ceylon Black Tea, Ceylon Green Tea, and Ceylon White Tea are the three main types of tea grown here. Tea production regions include the Central Province, Uva Province, Southern Province, and the Sabaragamuwa Province. The steps of tea processing includes plucking, withering, rolling, fermentation/oxidation, firing/drying, sorting & grading, and tasting and assessing.

plantation conditions

Tea plantation workers in Sri Lanka lead difficult lives and are sometimes not given the same rights as other citizens. There are grueling work hours with not enough pay, approximately $9.91 a day, leading to poverty. Workers live in small living quarters. There is a lack of education, nutrition, and proper health care.

women workers

Women are underpaid for the amount of work they do, and then they attend their “second shift” working at home; they are also are not recognized and are unheard, so they cannot assume positions of power. Women must attend to house chores and other gender normative duties, so they give up their education. About 6.7% of girls between the ages 15 and 19 go to school. There are higher maternal mortality and infant mortality rates for women working on plantations and also a higher percentage of women than men who become ill due to lack of women’s health and reproductive rights. Violence against women on plantations, including sexual harassment, is common.

effects of covid-19

Work on tea plantations are permitted in anywhere in Sri Lanka, although strict quarantine rules are enforced everywhere else. There is little to no sanitary access, including soap, water and masks. Tight, small living conditions do not allow for social distancing and early curfew is forcing all workers to come back to cramped quarters, exasperating the already crowded situation. Overall, there is no health education or public health measures on tea plantations.