100 Years of Tea Research: Contributions of the Tea Research Institute of Sri Lanka and its Future Role

The Tea Research Institute (TRI) of Sri Lanka is celebrating its centenary this year. Hence, this is an appropriate time to review the contribution that the TRI has made to the sustenance of the Sri Lankan tea industry and assess its current and future challenges.

- BY PROFESSOR JANENDRA De Costa

The TRI headoffice

History and past achievements of the TRI

The tea industry of Sri Lanka started in 1867 with the first commercial tea plantation by James Taylor at Loolecondera Estate. The TRI was started in 1925 as a result of the vision and the initiative of Robert Gordon Coombe, who recognized the need of an institute to provide research-based solutions to fieldand processing problems encountered by the expanding tea plantations and to generate new technologies to take the industry forward in an increasingly competitive global market. During the ensuing 100 years up to today, the Tea Research Institute has performed those primary functions that were expected from it at its inception, with varying degrees of success. The tea industry, both in Sri Lanka and elsewhere, has evolved during these 100 years, going through several phases and facing a multitude of challenges. For most of the past 100 years, the TRI of Sri Lanka has been at the forefront of innovations, research-based solutions and advisory services to sustain the Sri Lankan tea industry, enabling it to be economically profitable and globally competitive. A few major achievements are given below.