Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Sri Lanka targets UAE, Saudi Arabia in global tea promotion campaign

Sri Lanka targets UAE, Saudi Arabia in global tea promotion campaign

Sri Lanka’s tea industry is planning a global promotional campaign targeting its main export destinations, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia, as the crisis-hit country looks to attract additional foreign exchange.
The industry is famous for Ceylon tea — which refers to the island’s colonial name — and it is one of the country’s biggest exports. Revenue from tea exports stood at around $1.26 billion last year. This year the target is $1.4 billion.

The foreign exchange the industry generates is badly needed by the island nation of 22 million people, which has been gripped by a deep financial crisis since early 2022.

The Middle East and North Africa region is a top export market for the product, comprising more than half of Sri Lanka’s tea exports in 2022.

Pavithri Peiris, Sri Lanka Tea Board’s promotion director, told Arab News on Wednesday that Ceylon tea was highly valued in the region and preparations for its global promotion project were now in full swing ahead of the launch.

She said: “A digital-based PR campaign is set out to be launched in March 2023... This campaign will be online in 20 countries, including KSA and UAE.

“The low-grown teas in Sri Lanka are known to Middle Eastern tea consumers for (their) superior leaf appearance.”

The UAE is the largest destination in the MENA region and the third-largest market overall for Ceylon tea exports. It is the main hub for the product, Peiris said, where the buyers re-pack and distribute it to other countries in the region.

However, to be successful in reaching its targets, the Sri Lankan tea industry needs to shore up production output after lower-than-expected harvests last year following a controversial temporary ban on fertilizers introduced by the previous government in 2021.

Though the ban was lifted a few months later, tea producers say its impact and a labor shortage affected last year’s harvests.

“There were no chemicals, no fertilizer, so we couldn’t harvest our crops,” Ihithisham Meezan, chairperson of tea conglomerate Meezan Group of Companies, told Arab News.

“And this year we are getting the required fertilizers, but the workers at the estate are leaving for Middle East jobs in search of greener pastures.

“Here the cost of living is very high, most of the labor is going out of the country. That is becoming very bad for us.”

But following nearly five decades of the company’s presence in the market, Meezan had faith that harvests of the famed Ceylon tea would soon restore its prominence.

“Saudi Arabia, European countries, everybody likes Sri Lankan tea,” he said. “Our tea is one of the best teas in the world.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×