Tea plantation workers suffer due to lack of infrastructure

The tea plantations in Galaha suffer from grim living conditions and poor infrastructure, as most of them do not have access to clean water, electricity, and telephone services and live in old, small, and poor houses. The highway system on farms is also very difficult and public transportation services do not work properly. Although the government of Sri Lanka launched projects in cooperation with the Indian government to improve the lives of the people of these areas, it did not succeed. Tea plantations contribute significantly to the growth of the country’s economy, which has been a major export of Sri Lanka since ancient times. In 2019 tea exports amounted to 292,657 metric tons, generating revenues of more than 1.35 billion US dollars.