Under this program 709 tea factories situated in several districts will be investigated within two months, the Tea Commissioner E.A.J.K Edirisinghe told NEWS.LK.

It was reported that the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tea Board Rohan Pethiyagoda said recently that explanations have been called from 53 tea factory owners who were suspected of mixing sugar and glucose with tea during the threshing process.

Pethiyagoda further said that they had raided 80 tea factories in Ratnapura, Galle, Matara and 53 factories of them which were found to be engaging in this illegal practice. If they are found guilty of mixing sugar or glucose with tea action will be taken to cancel their license, he explained.

He said that there is a thought process among tea factory owners that by adding sugar with tea during the threshing process the tea turns black thereby allowing them to sell the tea at a higher price to the market.

Pethiyagoda said that while the thought process behind this is right the tea that is produced as a result gathers mold and what is even more disturbing it also produces a cancerous carcinogen which produces aflatoxin. he warned that such illegal practises could do great damage to the image of “Ceylon Tea” which has built a name for itself in the world market.

Pethiyagoda said that they had found 14 tea factories had been found guilty of engaging in this illegal practise last year and their licenses had been suspended for three months. (Ranjan Kasthuri)