SUSTAINABILITEA THROUGH GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES

SUSTAINABILITEA

THROUGH

GOOD AGRICULTURAL

PRACTICES

SUSTAINABILITEA THROUGH GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES

1.SCIENTIFIC LAND USE PLANNING - Ageing tea bushes

Degraded soil

2. EMPLOYMENT CHALLENGES - Worker shortages

 3. MANAGING COSTS - Labour

Energy

Input cost – (Fertiliser)

High social cost

4. EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING

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SUSTAINABILITEA THROUGH GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES

1-Scientific Land Use Planning

Scientific land use planning is necessary to identify the BEST lands

for tea cultivation considering current yield / productivity of the land

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SUSTAINABILITEA THROUGH GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES

Land use planning in a national sense needs to be addressed first of all from the context of the National Tea Crop that has been agreed upon. Equally, National Tea Crops cannot also be fixed or viewed in isolation.

In an international market, where tea is part of the global beverage market , it is imperative that national production quotas should also take into cognizance the global demand for tea, within the expanding beverage market..

Tea production needs to be targeted to keep pace with the growing global demand for tea and also strike a balance to avoid global over / under supply.

Tea consumption is said to increase by 3% per annum and therefore supply also needs to grow at approximately 3%.

Towards this end, it is imperative that the major tea producing countries agree on National Production Targets for the near, medium and long term.

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SUSTAINABILITEA THROUGH GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES

1-Scientific Land Use Planning

Land ProductivitySri Lanka - 1,600 kg./Ha.India - 1,900 kg./Ha.Kenya - 2,100 kg./Ha.

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SUSTAINABILITEA THROUGH GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES

Low Land Productivity

Ageing Tea Bushes

Degraded Soil

Changing weather patterns(Global Warming)

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SUSTAINABILITEA THROUGH GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES

Ageing Tea Bushes

Sub Optimal stands

Sri Lanka - Topography

AgeSeedling > 60 Years = 91%

VP > 40 Years = 6 % 31 – 40 Years = 25 % 21 – 30 Years = 28 % 11-20 Years = 29 % <10 Years = 13 %

Advantages for Quality

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SUSTAINABILITEA THROUGH GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES

1-Scientific Land Use Planning

Scientific land use plan for the rational use of land to replant the most suitable lands with genetically superior cultivars

Land Use %

Tea 65

Fuelwood 15

Housing etc 10

Miscellaneous 10

Total 100 6

Superior Quality

Global Warming

Yield

SUSTAINABILITEA THROUGH GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES

1-Scientific Land Use Planning

Good Agricultural Practices

a) Soil conservation / rehabilitation

b) Shade management

c) Integrated Pest & Disease Management

d) Infilling / Replanting with genetically superior varieties

e) Micro irrigation

f) Fertigation

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SUSTAINABILITEA THROUGH GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES

2-Employment Challenges

a) Highly labour intensive 70 – 72% of COP

b) World over, with countries shifting from Agriculture to Industry to knowledge-based economies, the total number of people engaged in agriculture is reducing drastically. This is no different in the Tea Plantations as well.

c) Ever increasing worker wages, independent of productivity improvement, is posing a threat to the viability of many tea plantations.

d) A model needs to be developed that will ensure the workers an “Income Guarantee” as opposed to the current model of “Employment Guarantee”.

e) While safeguarding the rights and privileges of workers, the new employment model must endeavour to link remuneration to the price of tea that ensures affordability and consequently, sustainability.

f) Mechanisation of field operations. 4

SUSTAINABILITEA THROUGH GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES

3-Managing Costs

Cost

Worker

Energy

Social Cost

Inputs - Fertiliser

3

SUSTAINABILITEA THROUGH GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES

3-Managing Costs

Worker Costs - Introduce non-wage based remuneration

- Improve productivity

- Mechanization

Energy Cost - Improve energy efficiency (Fans/VSD)

- Convert to renewable sources of energy

- Solar / Dendro Power

Fertilizer - Adjust pH

Improve soil Fertility – Carbon content

Social Cost - Health

- Welfare / Sports

- Infrastructure / Housing / Creches 2

SUSTAINABILITEA THROUGH GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES

Social Cost

Expenditure on improving quality of life of the workers is indeed,

And

Not actually a cost

3-Managing Costs

An investment

1

SUSTAINABILITEA THROUGH GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES

a) Warm areas will get warmer

b) Cold areas will get colder

c) Dry spells will get longer

d) Wet spells will get longer

e) Rain in historically dry areas

f) Dry spells in historically wet areas

4. - Effects of Global Warming

SUSTAINABILITEA THROUGH GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES