The tea planted over hundreds
of acres in our country today stands on the graveyard of coffee which
flourished earlier. At one time in our history Ceylon was identified all
over the world with the well known beverage of coffee, without which it
was said that no respectable British breakfast table could be complete.
It has been even described as”….the aromatic berry whose decoction
is alike delicious to the palate, grateful to the nostrils, and refreshing
and re-invigorating to the nerves of man all over the civilized world”.
In 1824Gorge Bird opened a coffee plantation near Gampola. In 1825, sir
Edward Barnes, who was Governor noted to have taken a leading part in
the Island’s agricultural
development established his own plantation at Gannoruwa adjoining the
newly opened Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya. He is also remembered to
have completed a high way in to the hill country, making way for transport
for the industry at least part of the way with some convenience.
one of the
tea factory in nuwara eliya
In1835 the lowered duty, combined with a drop in coffee supplies from
the West Indies, and increasing consumption of coffee in Europe resulted
in a dramatic expansion in the areas cultivated in coffee. In 1837 some
4000 acres of crown forestlands were sold for coffee plantain and in the
succeeding ten years planting rose to nearly 300,000 acres, according
to notes compiled by R.K. de Silva.
The flood of British settlers taking to coffee Planting opened up the
valleys of Dumbara, Ambegamuwa, Kotmale, and Pussellawa. They streamed
in to the mountain passes leading to the plains surrounding Pidurutalagala
and spilled over to the grassland of Uva. These lands, hitherto undisturbed
except by elephants, leopards and deer, were burnt ripped of its jungle
and converted in to coffee plantations.
tea plucking women
However, in 1845, after a serious financial crisis in England, the resulting
depression and political disturbances led to a temporary collapse of the
coffee industry. For some years the Industry was almost paralysed, but
by 1855 it had more than recovered the lost ground, and was conducted
on more practical and economical lines. From that date to about 1882 coffee
was the staple export industry, achieving its best performance in 1875
, when almost 1,000,000 cwt . of coffee were exported.
tea
plantation in hill cuntry
About 1870 the plants began to be attacked by a fungus blight, hemileia
vastatrix, the coffee leaf disease- which spread rapidly over the vast
sheet of coffee plantations in the mountains. By 1880 the industry , though
still considerable, was in a bad condition. The ‘ biter berry’
which had made fortunes was smitten by the blight.
When
it finally collapsed, the areas formerly planted with coffee were collapsed
, the areas formerly planted with coffee were cultivated in cinchona and
then tea , which was to become Sri Lanka ’ chief cource of export
income for over a hundred years.
Christine Wilson’s novels ‘The Bitter Berry’ is interesting
reading of a story set in this background and period. A story of pioneer
in search of greener pastures living in primitive conditions, amongst
unknown dangers and tremendous odds of a foreign land, the author conveys
the joys, sorrows, hardships and adventure of some of those pioneer coffee
planters.
how ever today tea
is the main export in sri lanka.. and it brings lots of money to sri lanka..
and coffee is one of dying plant in sri lanka..
Tea
Producing Areas
There are six main tea-producing areas- Galle, to the south of the island;
Ratnapura, about 55 miles east of Colombo; Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, the highest
area that produces the finest teas; Dimbula, west of the central mountains;
and Uva, located east of Dimbula. Any tourist planning to visit a tea
estate may simply visit any of these localities. Accomodation can be availed
at the guest houses belonging to the respective tea estates. The finest
teas are gathered from late June to the end of August in eastern districts
and from the beginning of February to mid-March in the western parts.
ultural
development established his own plantation at Gannoruwa adjoining the
newly opened Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya. He is also remembered to
have completed a high way in to the hill country, making way for transport
for the industry at least part of the way with some convenience.
The flood of British settlers taking to coffee Planting opened up the
valleys of Dumbara, Ambegamuwa, Kotmale, and Pussellawa. They streamed
in to the mountain passes leading to the plains surrounding Pidurutalagala
and spilled over to the grassland of Uva. These lands, hitherto undisturbed
except by elephants, leopards and deer, were burnt ripped of its jungle
and converted in to coffee plantations.
n
it finally collapsed, the areas formerly planted with coffee were collapsed
, the areas formerly planted with coffee were cultivated in cinchona and
then tea , which was to become Sri Lanka ’ chief cource of export
income for over a hundred years.