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 S p o ke s m a n a n d H ay l e y s 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.

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