Global warming will affect tea plantations

Ramani Kangaraarachchi

COLOMBO: There is a potential risk in tea plantations getting severely affected with the anticipated climate change following global warming, Environmental Consultant, Dr. Janaka Rathnasiri told a seminar on Global Warming at the BMICH yesterday.

Addressing on the ‘Vulnerability of tea plantations to climate change’ he said the majority of tea plantations in the most vulnerable regions are low and mid country which belong to smallholders with land extent less than one acre.

Since they do not possess any adaptive capacity, Government intervention is necessary to assist them in taking suitable adaptation measures to mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change, he said.

Dr. Rathnasiri pointed out that tea is a crop very sensitive to variability in weather and climate and even this year, the rainfall in January and February has been rather low over low country tea growing areas.

Tea bushes are turning brown where adequate shade has not been provided. The casualties of young plants also have been very high, particularly in the low country, he said.