Sri Lanka to Chair Asia Tea Alliance; Colombo to host sixth ATA and Asia International Tea Summit 2025

SRI Lanka will assume the Chairmanship of the Asia Tea Alliance (ATA) for 2026-2027, with Tea Small Holdings Development Authority (TSHDA) Chairman Nimal Udugampola taking on the role.

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The announcement coincides with Colombo hosting the 6th ATA Annual Meeting at Moonwalk by Citrus, Lotus Tower, on 27 November, convened by Solidaridad Asia Managing Director Dr. Shatadru Chattopadhayay, followed by the Asia International Tea Summit 2025 under the theme “Tea Reimagined: Regenerative, Resilient, and Carbon Free.”

Plantation and Community Infrastructure Minister Samantha Vidyarathna will attend as Chief Guest.

Sri Lanka's assumption of the ATA Chairmanship is a strategic milestone for the nation and the wider region. For the first time in the Alliance’s history, a smallholder institution leader — the TSHDA will chair the ATA. This elevates Sri Lanka’s regional standing, amplifies smallholder representation, and positions the country to help shape standards, policy dialogue, trade priorities, and market access across Asia’s tea value chains.

Equally, the Chairmanship highlights tea as a shared endeavour of smallholders and plantations. Sri Lanka's model brings both sectors to the table, aligning smallholder institutions, private plantations, exporters, and policymakers around a common agenda. Under Sri Lanka's stewardship, the ATA's focus will be on regenerative practice, climate resilience, fair value, and stronger market linkages, with Sri Lankan producers, large and small, gaining a more prominent voice on the global stage.

Previous ATA meetings were 2018 - Inaugural ATA, Beijing, China; 2019-second ATA, Jakarta, Indonesia; 2022-third ATA, Kolkata, India; 2023-fourth ATA, Bandung, Indonesia; and 2024-fifth ATA, Kolkata, India.