Worsening labour shortage in plantation sector

The plantation industry is a major source of foreign exchange for Sri Lanka, with total annual export earnings of approximately $4-5 billion USD in recent years.

- By RaJ GONSALKORALE

The sector contributes around 24% of the country's total export earnings. In terms of direct and indirect employment, the sector probably provides such employment opportunities to more than 3 million people. This industry may not survive into the future unless the very basics like who will pluck tea, tap rubber and pluck coconuts is addressed. Value adding cannot happen unless these basics are addressed as there will be no raw materials to add value.

One of the major problems faced in the industry even today is the labour shortage related to these basics. While these are key to the survival of the industry, the labour shortage is not limited to these basics. The industry, in particular tea and rubber, requires a significant ground maintenance input of the planted areas like weeding, fertilising, prevention of soil erosion, among others. It is not uncommon to see increasingly large acreages of tea and rubber plantations in neglect while some continue to argue that more land is needed for the industry if it is to be sustained. It is the optimisation of available land that is important rather than opening up new land for cultivation. Researchers and industry experts argue that a key strategy to revive the industry is to make the existing, viable land more productive. They rightly argue that this approach is essential because simply expanding the total area is often not feasible or desirable due to land constraints, environmental concerns (e.g., soil erosion), and adding to labour shortages.