Fertiliser ban could cut estate worker wages

Fertiliser ban could cut estate worker wages

Workers, as a result of the current crisis on the tea plantations due to the ban on chemical fertiliser, will be directly affected with earnings likely to drop by about 30 per cent.

By next January workers will lose about 25-30 per cent of their earning capacity due to the lack of crop, Planters Association Media Spokesman and Hayleys Plantations Managing Director

Dr. Roshan Rajadurai told the Business Times.

Owners of Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) predict that due to the loss of fertiliser, weedicide and fungicides the workers will also face a loss of earnings at the same rate at which the crop productivity drops.

He noted that at present people are working about 25 days at a minimum per month with some even working on Sundays.

However, this situation is likely to change if the authorities continue their ban on chemical fertilisers and glyphosate (weedicide) that will gravely hinder production and increase plant-destroying weeds.

Dr. Rajadurai pointed out that they could only conform to Tea Research Institute (TRI) guidelines in the application of fertiliser.

When the glyphosate ban came into force in 2015 the industry saw a significant drop in sales to Japan and this resulted in a continued drop over the past few years since then.

He also pointed out that despite the availability of people it would not allow the companies the possibility of hiring them to work on the fields to weed the plantations because they “cannot afford to pay them” above the price they receive for the sale of tea.

Sri Lanka has been selling at least 7.5 million kg annually of Ceylon Tea to Japan prior to the glyphosate ban but now this has dropped to about 5 million kg, Dr. Rajadurai noted.

He explained that this is a clear indication of the consequences of losing one’s market share and the difficulty in regaining confidence. Tea Small holders Federation President Kehel Gunaratna told the Business Times that they too expect a production drop by around 30 percent by January and that leaf production has dropped by about 10-15 percent already.

When this happens he noted that they will not be able to make the same payment to their workers as the earnings will also fall.

However, the industry is remaining confident that the government is likely to provide them with some form of fertiliser industry by December following discussions with the Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa recently.

Over the years the tea industry has been facing a number of obstacles in its 150-year journey and most complicating is the concern over the ban on glyphosate in 2015 that was lifted only in July 2018 as a result of which Sri Lanka made significant losses in productivity and weeds overran the plantations.

The Sri Lankan government took a decision to ban the use of chemical fertiliser in May this year.

The Sunday Times 26-09-21