Why is Ceylon Tea losing steam?

At a time where there is a decline in Sri Lankan tea exports, the complaining voices of estate labourers underscore that their side of the problem needs to be sorted out at the earliest

Ceylon Tea still has the potential to be in the global news. This time around what we hear of news from the tea world is a little negative. The latest news reaching us informs that Sri Lanka has been overtaken by India in terms of ‘tea exports’. According to the Tea Board of India, Bharat has exported 254 million kgs of tea in 2024, the feat threatening Sri Lanka’s position in tea in the world. 
India-Sri Lanka rivalries may not be severe as the rivalries between India and Pakistan, but this is a welcome news and a great achievement for ambitious India. For the record, India and Sri Lanka were battling neck-to-neck in tea exports trade in 2023. But what should be underscored here is that India has performed better in the tea trade and even surpassed Sri Lanka. 
When one focuses on Ceylon tea, the tea trade in Sri Lanka in itself is dealing with a problem with regard to the estate labourers. How can a business flourish when a reasonable wage is not paid to the main ‘players’ of a business? Here we are talking about the tea pluckers. This is a problem where solutions for it have been discussed time and time again in parliament. The present and past Executive Presidents of this island are also aware of the plight of tea workers and their appalling living conditions. Let’s not get into technicalities related to the drop in Ceylon tea exports. It could be attributed to the drop in tea crops and planters not being inclined towards replanting as in the past. At a time where there is a decline in Sri Lankan tea exports, the complaining voices of estate labourers underscore that their side of the problem needs to be sorted out at the earliest. 
However, Sri Lanka still holds a lofty position in the world where tea exports are concerned.  Sri Lanka is positioned behind Kenya and China in the list of top countries exporting tea to the world. When Sri Lanka was performing better in the tea trade, it was once the world’s leading tea exporter in the year 1995. Starting from Iraq in top slot, Russia, Libya and the UAE respectively are Sri Lanka’s top importers of Ceylon Tea. 
From a ‘production point of view’, Sri Lanka is among the world’s largest tea producers. From a tea production perspective, the island is in a different league along with China, India and Kenya. 
There is still ‘something’ about Ceylon Tea when it reaches the world with the ‘lion’ emblem. One close look at these Ceylon Tea packs from sniffing distance of the packet and the aroma one gets suggests that there is top quality content within. The Lion emblem on Ceylon Tea is the property of the ‘Ceylon Tea Board’. Probably Ceylon Tea is still holding sway in the global market because there is the least government involvement in this business, with the major stakeholders being the private sector. 
As for the contents within the tea packs and how they reach the global market sporting the Lion Emblem, there are standards specified for all stakeholders in this area of the business. The ‘Ceylon Tea Board’ has specified that tea packs to be eligible to carry the Lion emblem must ensure; packs must be made for the consumer, contain 100% Ceylon Tea, the packing must be done in Sri Lanka and brands that have the lion logo must produce tea that meets the quality specified by the ‘Ceylon Tea Board’. 
We still remember the Ceylon Tea emblem on a double decker bus plying on a street in London many years ago. That’s how far and wide Sri Lanka’s advertising campaigns regarding Ceylon Tea stretched in the global brewage market. We have to sit up and take note of how and why India beat Sri Lanka in terms of exporting tea to the world.