News
High prices and poor marketing of Ceylon Tea drove Pakistan to Kenyan imports – High Commissioner
By Steve A. Morrell
Pakistan had to turn to Kenya for its tea imports because Ceylon Tea was too highly priced and marketing was poor, High Commissioner Maj. Gen. (Retd) Muhammad Saad Khattak said.
“You have to blame your marketing people for the poor show”, the envoy said in reply to a question from a journalist at last week’s news conference at the Pakistan High Commission in Colombo.
He said that Pakistan imported 10,000 metric tons tea annually and Ceylon Tea comprised a negligible 1.6 percent of total imports.
“We now depend more on Kenyan tea as the Pakistani people were literally weaned away from Ceylon Tea due to exorbitant pricing coupled with a poor marketing strategy”.
The High Commissioner said that marketing Ceylon Tea to Pakistan’s retail trade took a back seat and the end result was that Kenya made headway to capture the market with fair pricing and vigorous marketing.
“Since my young days, most people in Pakistan knew only of Ceylon Tea, which was the preferred beverage. The alternative still could be Ceylon Tea if the beverage can regain its prestige through vibrant marketing”, the High Commissioner stressed.
Elaborating on the friendly relations that exist between Sri Lanka and Pakistan, he said the close ties were further cemented by the recent visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to Sri Lanka.
Referring to the visit of a delegation of Buddhist monks to Pakistan, Khattak said it was a clear indication that his country reached out to all segments in Sri Lanka to develop mutual interests.
The envoy announced that a business delegation from Pakistan is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka shortly for an in-depth discussion on mutual areas of economic collaboration for cooperation between both countries for trade.
On tourism, he said Pakistan had diverse attractions to offer visitors, including snow-capped mountains, mind boggling topography, geographical land variety and an extensive expanse of beaches.
He said Pakistan could offer a wide cross section of trade and visitor attractions exclusive to tourists.
In the field of medicine, he said Pakistan would award 1,000 scholarships to Sri Lankan students. Referring to Jammu and Kashmir, he said Pakistan adhered to the UN resolution as the basis for settlement.
He didn’t comment on a possible time frame to end the dispute.
“There’s nothing called a free lunch, but an agreement of mutual advantage was necessary to seek amicable realization for stabilization of the area in dispute”, the envoy pointed out.
He declined to comment on the aspect of Chinese influences that was raised by some journalists.
President Anura Kumara Disanayake met with Ms. Severine Chappaz, the newly appointed Head of Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), on Tuesday (25) at the Presidential Secretariat.
Discussions focused on the ICRC’s support for the new government’s policy framework. As part of this collaboration, the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society has agreed to provide technical assistance and capacity-building support to strengthen the Office on Missing Persons (OMP).
President Disanayake highlighted that the budget 2025 has allocated funds for on-going programs related to searching for missing persons.
Additionally, the President announced plans to celebrate “Sri Lankan Day” as a national initiative aimed at fostering unity and strengthening the country’s collective identity, transcending ethnic and religious differences.
The President expressed his gratitude to the ICRC for its humanitarian operations in Sri Lanka since 1989 and acknowledged its continued commitment to the country.
The meeting was also attended by Roshan Gamage, Senior Additional Secretary to the President, and Ruwanthi Jayasundara, Communications Manager of the ICRC.
The government is contemplating the implementation of a collaborative tourism initiative between the Maldives and Sri Lanka.
This initiative was discussed on Tuesday (25) during a meeting at the Presidential Secretariat between President Anura Kumara Disanayake and the High Commissioner of the Republic of Maldives, Masood Imad.
During the meeting, the High Commissioner congratulated the government on its recent electoral victory and expressed his satisfaction with the positive changes taking place in the country following the election results.
The discussions also emphasized the longstanding 60-year diplomatic relationship between the Maldives and Sri Lanka, focusing on strengthening and advancing this bilateral partnership.
President Anura Kumara Disanayake acknowledged and expressed his appreciation for the Maldives’ unique contributions in fortifying the ties between the two nations.
The meeting was attended by several senior officials, including Senior Additional Secretary to the President Roshan Gamage, Maldives Foreign Secretary Fathimath Inaya, and Additional Secretary Aminath Abdulla Didi.
A meeting between President Anura Kumara Disanayake and the Indonesian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Dewi Gustina Tobing, took place on Tuesday (25) at the Presidential Secretariat.
During the discussion, Ambassador Tobing extended Indonesia’s well wishes to the new government and reaffirmed Indonesia’s commitment to strengthening the 70-year-long friendship between the two nations.
The Ambassador highlighted that both Sri Lanka and Indonesia recently held simultaneous elections and established new governments. She further stated that Indonesia’s current administration will support the “Clean Sri Lanka” programme, noting that measures have been taken to implement a similar initiative in Indonesia.
The discussions also focused on establishing vibrant trade agreements and free trade arrangements between the two nations.
Additionally, both parties explored opportunities to expand markets in a mutually beneficial manner while further strengthening economic, social and cultural ties.
Senior Additional Secretary to the President, Roshan Gamage and Indonesian Deputy Ambassador, Fiki Oktanio, were also present at the meeting.
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