Sri Lanka Launches ‘Ceylon Tea Village’ Programme; Eyes 400 Million Kilograms of Tea Output

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka today launched the “Ceylon Tea Village” National Programme, a major initiative aimed at achieving the country’s ambitious national tea industry targets while transforming the livelihoods of thousands of smallholder tea farmers.

The programme was officially launched on July 15, with the first phase covering 144 tea villages across the island, marking the beginning of a wider plan to establish 500 tea villages nationwide under the Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure.

The initiative is designed to help Sri Lanka achieve its national target of increasing annual made tea production to 400 million kilograms by 2030, while boosting tea export earnings to US$ 2.5 billion.

The Department of Government Information said the programme will focus on modernising the country’s smallholder tea sector, improving the living standards of farming communities and accelerating the sustainable development of Sri Lanka’s tea industry.

A range of key objectives have been identified under the programme, including increasing tea leaf yields and productivity among smallholder farmers, enhancing farmer incomes, promoting value-added tea products, integrating tea cultivation with tourism, introducing modern and sustainable agricultural technologies, developing infrastructure and strengthening producer cooperative systems.

Each tea village will benefit from an integrated development package that includes high-density tea cultivation demonstration plots, new tea nurseries, insurance coverage for smallholder tea lands, pension schemes for tea growers, concessionary loan facilities, support for mechanisation, training and equipment for handmade tea production, tourism-linked development opportunities, assistance to develop additional income streams, strengthening of producer cooperatives, training on regenerative agriculture and priority infrastructure development.

Under the first phase of the programme, 144 tea villages are expected to be established during 2026, covering all 144 Tea Inspector Divisions across the country.