Question

Compare tea production of India with Sri Lanka.

Answer 1

• Approximately 12% of the world’s total tea production comes from Sri Lanka, which ranks third in the world after China and India. Since small holdings of less than 4 hectares only generate one-eighth of the total output, it is mostly a plantation crop. The crop is planted in the west zone’s higher slopes and takes up a larger portion of the Hill Country’s farmed land, primarily in the vicinity of Hatton and Nuwara Eliya, as well as the region north of Kandy and south of Badulla. Approximately 240 thousand hectares, or one-fourth of the nation’s total cropped area, are devoted to tea plantations.
• Approximately 80% of tea plantations are 4 hectares or larger. In addition, there are 54,000 minor holdings. In the 1870s, British planters established the first tea plantations in a highland region at an elevation of roughly 1,000 meters. Temperatures in Sri Lanka’s tea-producing regions range from 20°C to 26°C, while rainfall ranges from 375 to 500 cm. Roads and railroads were built to connect the capital city of Columbo with the cities of Kandy, Matali, Hatton, Nuwara Eliya, and Badulla in order to service these cooler and better-drained upland districts.
• Every plantation requires a sizable workforce throughout the year, not just during harvest season when additional labour is needed. The majority of the workforce is made up of Indian Tamil immigrants who came to Sri Lanka in quest of employment.