ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s Plantations Industries Minister Navin Dissanayake has threatened to expose a Provincial Governor who is pressuring him to block authorities from taking action against a tea factory that has been using additives in tea production against regulations.
A controversy had blown up over factories that were using sugar in tea production and authorities have suspended production in several.
“A certain governor is already angry with me for not releasing one of these factories," Dissnayake told a forum in Colombo.
I am not interest in telling his name but I won’t hesitate if he keeps bothering me about this.
"I request not to come at me saying to release the factories that we shut down because of this reason. I won’t give permission for that. We should take strict decisions to get this ministry to a certain level. We must take firm decisions to clean up this industry.”
About 12 tea factories have already closed during the past two months after more than the permitted level of sugar was found in Ceylon tea.
A minimum sugar level has been established. Teas coming to auctions are tested according the process. (Colombo/July29/2019)