Plantations Minister Ramesh Pathirana has introduced regulations to ensure the quality standard of green tea.
The regulations have been promulgated under the Tea Control Act, No. 51 of 1957 and are cited as the Tea Control (Quality Standard of Green Tea Leaf) Regulations No. 02 of 2021.
The regulations apply to all registered manufacturers of tea and licensed dealers of green tea leaf as raw material to tea factories.
Every manufacturer who operates a tea factory for the production of made tea and every licensed dealer of green tea leaf are required to ensure the procurement of a minimum of 60% of green tea leaf in conformity with the quality standard determined by the Commissioner for use in the manufacture of tea.
They are also required to ensure the handling and transportation of green tea leaf to the factory is done without damage to the green tea leaf.
The regulations make it mandatory for the manufacturer to make arrangements to procure a minimum of 60% quality standard green tea leaf through licensed dealers and initiate a proper mechanism to ensure continuous supply of undamaged green tea leaf.
The manufacturer and the dealers who supply green tea leaf to such factories are required to utilise containers approved by the Commissioner for transportation of green tea leaf from farm gate to tea factory.
“All tea factories, which are owned and managed by registered manufacturers of tea and licensed dealers of green tea leaf shall comply with such directions as may be issued by the Commissioner from time to time and shall also maintain such records as are required by the Commissioner,” the regulations state.
Any person aggrieved by any decision of the Commissioner under these regulations, can, within 28 days of the communication of such decision, appeal in writing to the Minister to whom the subject of plantation is assigned.
(FT)