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‘I will continue to enjoy my cup of (Pure) Ceylon Tea’ : British HC

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The UK’s top diplomat, British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka , John Rankin, has a favourite beverage – Ceylon Tea in its purest form – implying that he prefers  Pure Ceylon Tea rather than the heavily-blended variety with just a fraction of Sri Lanka-origin tea, which is marketed in many countries including the UK.

John Rankin

Mr. Rankin, who addressed top business leaders at the recently held 173rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC), said;  “I do not presume to know the answer to whether Ceylon Tea should be maintained in its purity or whether there should be further blending… But I can assure you that I will continue to enjoy my cup of Ceylon Tea  every morning”.
Mr. Rankin’s comments were made in the midst of an ongoing, and heated, local debate, spotlighted in the media, that has been sparked off by a section of the tea export industry calling for free tea imports into Sri Lanka to facilitate blended, multi-origin tea products being added to their portfolio of products.

In addition, as a part of his remarks, Mr. Rankin also commented that, in economic terms, no country, not the UK nor Sri Lanka, was an island, separate from others. And, with the European Union (EU) being Sri Lanka’s largest trading partner, to the tune 2.28 billion euros in 2010, or 36% of the country’s total exports, a result of continuing increases over the last five years, it was important for the island to “engage positively” in ongoing international negotiations on pressing global economic issues such as the Eurozone crisis.

Continuing on this topic, he added that countries like Sri Lanka could also help by creating a more conducive environment for businesses to develop. This would include “certainty and stability; increased transparency over public contracts; incentives to allow them to grow; and confidence that their investments will not be subject to arbitrary action. Above all they want more ‘room’ for businesses to simply get on with what they do best-doing business. Potential overseas investors also want to understand what the best opportunities available in Sri Lanka are, and want to have clear and efficient approval processes”.

Further, Mr. Rankin also indicated that, during recent conversations he had with UK companies such as Marks and Spencer, NEXT, Triumph and George, it had emerged that Sri Lanka would continue to be seen as a “primary source for high quality, affordable clothing”.
Additionally, he also noted that, for Sri Lankan companies also interested in branching out into the UK, it takes just 13 days to set up a business in that country, and that his country would soon, possibly within the next two years, have the lowest corporate tax rates amongst all Group of Seven (G7) countries.

CCC Chairman Susantha Ratnayake, who was re-elected to another one-year term at the 173rd AGM, said that while the Sri Lankan economy was currently doing well, it had “failed to recognise the early warning signs of a balance of payment crisis”.
However, he added that “decisive and bold policy action by the government has averted a crisis but the resultant shocks will take a while to overcome and as such we need to stay the course”.

At the same time, Mr. Ratnayake also suggested that a “new wave of reform is needed if we are to come out of this quickly, with the least amount of pain, as seen from past experiences in our country’s history”.  (JH)

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