The Government has finalized a comprehensive implementation plan to transform the 'Ceylon Tea Village' initiative into a structured and sustainable national programme, rather than a one-time project, Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure Samantha Vidyarathna said.
The Minister made these remarks during a discussion held on July 28 to formalize the implementation, operational framework and promotion of the 500 Ceylon Tea Villages project.
As part of the programme, a standard tea nursery and a model tea plantation will be established in every tea village. A village-level survey will also be conducted to support the implementation process.
The Government aims to strengthen the project at the grassroots level while ensuring financial, technical and infrastructure support for the 144 tea villages that have already been launched across the country.
To enhance implementation, the Ministry will establish a three-tier committee system at the national, regional and village levels. The national steering committee will operate under the Senior Additional Secretary of the Ministry, while regional committees will include regional managers of the eight tea-growing zones, Members of Parliament, government officials and community representatives. Village-level implementation will be led by tea inspectors, small tea estate societies, community leaders and plantation representatives.
An additional Rs. 237 million has been allocated for the initial phase of the project. Of this, Rs. 68 million has been earmarked through the Small Tea Estate Development Authority to establish model tea plantations in the first 144 villages, while Rs. 169 million will be provided through the Ministry of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment to establish standard tea nurseries.
