Cabinet approves amendments to Tea Control Act

Wednesday, 12 March 2025 05:25 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Cabinet of Ministers on Monday approved expediting the drafting process for amendments to the Tea Control Act No. 51 of 1957.

The decision builds on an earlier Cabinet approval on 11 January 2021, which endorsed key revisions to the Act.

These include introducing a definition for “Reclaimable Tea,” referring to the portion of tea discarded during production in factories. The amendments also propose renaming the remaining portion as “Refuse Tea” after further extraction of processed tea, as well as establishing a system for the registration, licensing and regulation of tea processors.

“The Legal Draftsman is currently working on these amendments and highlighted the need for renewed Cabinet approval to proceed,” Cabinet Spokesman and Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said at the weekly post-Cabinet meeting media briefing yesterday.

The proposal to this effect, submitted by Plantation and Community Infrastructure Facilities Minister Samantha Vidyaratne, was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.