SRI LANKA
The 150-year Celebration of Tea conference in Sri Lanka and AITea conference were held back to back in August showcasing a broad range of top presenters, each focusing on different challenges in tea.
Some of the important global tea industry challenges highlighted were:
• Changes in population. Growing populations will drive demand for food which is predicted to increase by 50% by 2030.
• Competition for agricultural land and productivity. The competition for land will stress the importance of yields per hectare.
• Climate Change. Impacting yields and prices. Tea is grown in some of the countries most vulnerable to climate change.
• Labor Shortages. Tea is a labor-intensive industry and future labor shortages will impact the industry• Energy Constraints. Tea processing is energy intensive. By 2030, the total world energy demand is predicted to increase by 50%.