HISTORY OF CEYLON TEA-https://vincousa.com

HISTORY OF CEYLON TEA

James Taylor a Scottish nationalist who embarked on Sri Lanka in 1866 was known as the first tea seed planter in a land called Loolecondera situated in Kandy during 1867. He had used his verandah as the factory and the tables to roll the tea leaf by hand. He sold his first teas locally which were popular as delicious among the locals.

By 1872, Taylor possessed a well-equipped factory and in the consecutive year, he could sell his first quality teas at the London auction. His crop increased from 23 pounds in 1872 to 22,899.8 tons in 1890. He gained unblemished fame through his dedication and diligence over the success in Tea cultivation in Sri Lanka. The authorities of Sri Lanka built a museum at Loolecondera in 1992 in order to commemorate him.

In 1981 the Sri Lankan government introduced a land reform act and as a result, 80 percent of the British-owned Tea estates came under the control of the government leaving 1/3in private hands. This state-owned plantation was restructured in 1990 to involve the private sector as the Managing companies. Thus, the financial responsibility and control of the estates remained with the private managing companies retaining the ownership with the government.