Author: Lani and Norm

Sri Lanka is the 4th largest tea producing industry in the world. It accounts for 6.5% of the global tea production. They are a leading exporter with 17% of global exports. 190 000 hectares of land, cultivated with tea can be found in Sri Lanka. There are 7 major tea producing regions in Sri Lanka:

Japan is made up of 3000 islands. Japan is along the Pacific coast of Asia, called the archipelago, from north to south. Some of the islands include Hokkaido Honshu, the main island, Shikoku and Kyushu, Ryukyu Islands including Okinawa. The steep elevations in Japan create a risk of landslides from earthquakes and soft ground. Consequently, 70% – 80% of the country is not suited for agriculture, industry or residence. The temperature and climate varies north to south. There is now in the north and it is quite tropical in the south. The land that is designated for tea production is used wisely and efficiently due to space constraints, climate conditions and harvesting methods.

The tea plantations in China are different from the British model. Today’s tea gardens are expansions of early tea gardens planted in the Tang and Ming Dynasties. They area loosely connected network of isolated gardens consisting of state owned and independent, privately owned collectives. The independent privately owned cooperative share local resources for labour, harvesting, processing, and distribution.