TEA welcomes removal of ban on glyphosate

Tuesday, 8 May 2018 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Tea Exporters Association (TEA) welcomes the Government’s decision to lift the ban on use of glyphosate weedicide on tea and rubber plantations. The association thanked the President and Prime Minister for the decision taken in the best interest of plantation sector and also the National Economy. TEA itself addressed a letter to the President in February this year, requesting his intervention to remove the ban as it has caused some adverse impact on the tea exports sector with crop losses reporting in high and medium elevations in the last two years, and also the cropping up of MRL issue in Japan and some EU countries from the beginning of this year. All leading tea-producing countries, namely India, Kenya, China, Vietnam, etc. use glyphosate as it is the most cost-effective weedicide for the tea industry. The use of glyphosate is accepted in every tea-importing country, including the EU, USA, Japan, etc. Recently, the EU Commission approved the use of glyphosate in EU countries for a further five-year period from 2017. This is clear evidence that the use of glyphosate is accepted in many countries as a safe weedicide.

The tea crop losses in the high and medium elevations have been estimated at around 20-25% of the annual tea production with the ban on glyphosate and subsequent low application of fertiliser. The estimated export revenue losses at the prevailing prices is in the region of Rs. 18-20 billion per year. Further, non-availability of adequate quantities of Ceylon Tea for exports allows other tea-producing countries to make inroads into the Ceylon Tea market share in some importing countries.

TEA also thanked the Minister of Plantation Industries and the former Chairman of the Tea Board Dr. Rohan Pethiyagoda for their untiring efforts in getting the glyphosate ban lifted for the plantation sector. They remain hopeful that the tea industry would be able to overcome the crop issues and the MRL matter with tea-importing countries within the next 3-4 months, allowing uninterrupted tea exports from the country.