TheCable

Sri Lanka has expressed interest in partnering with Nigeria in tea production to support the country’s agricultural development in line with the federal government’s economic diversification plan.

Thambirajah Raveenthiran, Sri Lanka high commissioner to Nigeria, said this at the Global Ceylon Tea Party to mark the 150th anniversary of tea in Sri Lanka.

Raveenthiran said Sri Lanka was famous for its “tea estates” and was an industry that supported almost 10 per cent of its population.

He added that the country produced teas in different regions with “distinctly different characteristics enhanced by specialised processes of manufacturing”.

The envoy expressed his country’s willingness to share its expertise with Nigeria.

“Nigeria has its tradition of tea production dating back in the 1950s,” he said.

“The country imports around five million kilogrammes of tea annually; this is not a significant volume for a population of 182 million people.

“Sri Lanka invites the beverage industry in Nigeria to partner with Sri Lanka companies and grow the tea segment.”

The Global Ceylon Tea Party is a unique 24-hour celebration of 150 years of Ceylon Tea, hosted by Sri Lankan missions globally.

Sri Lanka is the world’s fourth-largest producer of tea and tea production is one of the main sources of foreign exchange which contributed more than $1.5 billion in 2013 to the country’s economy.