Ceylon Tea holds e-auction, first time in history
Ceylon Tea, for the first time in its history, was sold on Friday and Saturday at an e-auction in a bid to maintain physical distancing and in keeping with the current government regulations against the coronavirus pandemic now in Sri Lanka.
The tea auction that is traditionally held at the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce auditorium in Colombo, was postponed last week as exporters were divided over the conduct of it in a densely populated environment.
In this respect, Ceylon Tea Traders Association (CTTA) Chairman Jayantha Karunaratne told the Business Times on Thursday said, “We are scheduled to have it as an e-auction to be held tomorrow (Friday)”.
The e- auction was held at noon on Friday and then again on Saturday with each of the brokers’ handling it from their offices, Mr. Karunaratne explained.
IT security requirements needed to be in place to ensure that the proper people were involved in the bidding process during the conduct of the auction, it was noted.
“We want to dispose the tea and get the money for the producers since the exporters are under a lot of pressure since March 15 as shipments are only 50 per cent of the usual quantity,” Mr. Karunaratne said.
From workforce issues like obtaining curfew passes for those required to travel to work; obtaining required tea packaging material boxes from China as imports are restricted to essential items; and restrictions placed on government offices as minimum staff report to work and delays occur as a result, he said.
Even in the collection of teas only a limited number of lorries are allowed to ply on the roads as only few curfew passes are issued by the police, he noted.
Delays and problems are being faced at the Board of Investment (BOI) and the Customs Department, and even wharf clerks of the respective agents are facing issues as well.
“There is a struggle, all exporters are struggling to keep it moving” although they say people are available on the ground level, the work practically is not happening, he noted adding that the government needs to provide them with some way to ease their issues.