ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka can combat fake Ceylon Tea and get better prices in markets like Europe with Geographical Indication (GI) certification, officials said at the conclusion of an initiative supported by France.
“The GI status of Ceylon Tea is a powerful tool that protects the original identity, combats imitation and positions Ceylon Tea at a premium in the international markets,” Raaj Obeysekere, Charman Sri Lanka Tea Board said.
“More importantly, it empowers our producers and it brings long-term value to rural communities across the country.”
The GI certification of Ceylon Tea was supported by a million Euro grant from Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the French aid agency.
Since 2003, the French Development Agency has supported GI initiatives on the five continents, with nearly 20 projects today worth more than 27 million euros, Yazid Bensaïd, Country Director for Sri Lanka, at AFD said.
The projects promoted trade, strengthened quality chains, and contributed to the Sustainable Development Goals.
GI guarantees authenticity and quality, linking the reputation of the product to its place of origin, Bensaïd said.
“In a country where tea is the second largest export and employs more than 1 million people, including 500,000 small-holders, farmers across the country, this initiative had to be participatory.
“More than 500 participants took part in a series of workshops to establish together the specifications for Ceylon Tea, followed by the development of a robust control system to uphold standards across the sector.
“This is the result of this four-year work that has been forwarded to the European Commission for expertise and validation to get this GI recognition.”
Technical work for the Ceylon Tea GI certification, over the past four years, was backed by the Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) of France.
CIRAD had worked also worked on the GI for Ceylon Cinnamon, the island’s first and collaborated with the National Intellectual Property Office on National National Legal Framework on Geographical Indication for Sri Lanka, Delphine Marie-Vivien, Researcher-in-Law at the agency said.
“At the core of CIRAD approach, our technical expertise is really to elaborate Geographical Indications with a participatory methodology,” she said.
“And it’s very important to define together the rules that will safeguard the name and its reputation.
“And this work has been successful through strong local commitments, strong stakeholder dialogue and shared motivation.”
Sri Lanka’s Minister of Plantations and Community Infrastructure, Samantha Vidyaratne said France had supported the effort to get GI for Ceylon Tea from 2021.
“Ceylon Tea had been synonymous with our country for 150 years,” he said.
“Though we have a brand, given the market conditions it is necessary to establish internationally recognized standards as GI certification. As the Plantations Industries Minister I am thankful for the French government and French agencies for the work done so far.
“We have now submitted the application and I am confident that we will get it.”
With registration in the European Union, Sri Lanka will gain a powerful legal instrument to protect the name of Ceylon Tea, strengthening consumer confidence and supporting the people whose expertise and dedication uphold its reputation, French Ambassador to Colombo, Rémi Lambert said.
“Once registered, Ceylon Tea will join a global family of products whose quality and origin are celebrated,” he said.
“In France, we have the French Champagne or the Piment d’Espalette and there are also a lot of products around the world with benefits from geographic indication.
“We have more than 700 registered geographic indications and we are proud to have been a pioneer in this field since the early 20th century.” (Colombo/Oct17/2025)
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