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Kenilworth Estate Production Overview
Comparison of land usage and annual production volume in kilograms
Primary Sources
The History of Ceylon Tea and Cricket in Sri Lanka
David Colin-Thome in 2003 …. being an item in THE HISTORY OF CEYLON NEWSLETTER, August 2021, …. now selected for TPS on invitation by David Schokman of Perth “You will think I write a lot about the scenery, but if you saw it you would not think I said too much” – James Taylor (Pioneering tea planter describing Ceylon in a letter to his father in Scotland in 1858) In Sri Lanka, the relevance of tea to the game of cricket extends further than that of a twenty-minute break that separates lunch and the end of a day’s play. And while tea to the Western world is but a tiny item in a crowded shopping trolley of groceries, in Sri Lanka, it is the trolley itself. For over a century, ‘Ceylon Tea’ has been the backbone of the country’s economy and to many individual Sri Lankans, its significance looms even larger. To the poorest of the poor, a cup of tea is often the substitute for a solid, but unaffordable meal. In the present context, the game of cricket is no less important. While Sri Lanka has been competing at the highest level for just over two decades, cricket has truly evolved, if not quite into a national game, then surely into a national past-time. Its value cannot be solely measured by the vast amounts of foreign currency the game generates for Sri Lanka (relative to the country). In times of hardship and trouble, and Sri Lanka has had its share of both, and then some, cricket is the soothing balm of the common soul; their anaesthetic from the copious doses of an unsympathetic reality. Tea and cricket in Ceylon Following British colonisation of Ceylon in 1796, coffee growing had been introduced to the contoured and elevated central districts of the island by the 1830s. It was around this same period that anecdotes of the odd game or two of cricket taking place have been told. In fact, the first cricket club formed was the Colombo Cricket Club, which was founded in 1832. Nonetheless, unlike its progress in England, cricket remained more an exception than the rule and it was not until about three decades later that the game formally took root in Ceylon. In the meanwhile, the British Empire was firmly ensconced in the island’s large northern neighbour, India where tea production was under-way earnestly. Notably in the world-famous tea-growing region of Assam. Yet, while the British conducted minor experiments with tea growing in Ceylon in some of the island’s botanical gardens, there was no concerted effort to introduce the shrub for commercial production. O...
How Sri Lanka Tea Is Surviving the War - Ceylon Independent
Demand is intact, but disruption is redefining the trade Be that as it may, Sri Lanka’s tea industry is not collapsing under the weight of the war in the Middle East. It is, however, operating under a new and far more difficult reality – one where demand continues to exist, but the ability to deliver has become increasingly uncertain. The distinction matters. Because this is not a story of disappearing markets, but of a system struggling to function under disruption. The Middle East has long been the backbone of Sri Lanka’s tea exports, accounting for a substantial share of total volumes. Markets such as Iraq, Iran, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia have historically absorbed a large proportion of Ceylon Tea, providing both scale and stability to the industry. That dependence, which once underpinned growth, has now become a source of vulnerability. With the Strait of Hormuz under strain and shipping routes increasingly exposed to risk, the movement of goods has become the central challenge. What exporters are now facing is not a shortage of buyers, but a breakdown in logistics. Ships are being rerouted, transit times extended, and insurance costs sharply increased. In some cases, shipments are delayed indefinitely, not because contracts have failed, but because the physical routes required to fulfil them have become uncertain. Industry estimates suggest losses of millions of dollars per week, not due to falling demand, but due to the inability to execute deliveries on time. Tea, quite literally, is waiting – either in warehouses or at port. Yet the industry has not buckled, and that is not accidental. Sri Lanka’s tea sector has, over time, built a degree of diversification that is now proving critical. Beyond the Middle East, exporters continue to serve markets in Russia and the CIS region, as well as parts of Europe and East Asia. These markets are not perfect substitutes, but they provide a cushion that prevents a complete collapse in export flows. In effect, diversification is buying time. At the same time, price dynamics are becoming uneven. In certain markets, reduced supply has led to stronger auction prices, reflecting scarcity and continued demand. In others, particularly where currencies have weakened sharply, purchasing power has eroded, creating a more fragile demand environment. The result is a market that is not uniformly rising or falling, but fragmenting under pressure. Exporters are adapting as best they can. Alternative shipping routes are being e...
6 Best Teas and Herbal Infusions in Sri Lanka - TasteAtlas
Bogawantalawa Tea Estates is a renowned tea producer located in Sri Lanka, nestled in the picturesque Golden Valley of Ceylon. Famous for cultivating some of the finest teas in the world, the estate is known for its climate-positive farming practices and sustainable production methods.
Food Fight: the Battle Over Sri Lankan Food Production
But there are signs that those in charge of Sri Lanka's food production are not ready to cede control. The ban was met with a backlash from tea estates where glyphosate is widely used, and the Ministry of Plantation Industries is now considering relaxing the ban for use in the estates.
