📈 ComBank Launches Dedicated Financing Scheme to Revitalise Sri Lanka's Tea Sector

Commercial Bank of Ceylon has introduced the "Revitalising the Sri Lankan Tea Sector" Loan Scheme in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Tea Factory Owners Association (SLTFOA) to support tea smallholders and enhance land productivity. • National Context & Impact: • The tea sector generated ~$1.51 Bn in export revenue in 2025. • Supports over 400,000 smallholder families and nearly 1.5 Mn livelihoods in rural communities. • Smallholders produce over 70% of national output, but face challenges from ageing bushes, declining production, and soil degradation. • Loan Facilities & Features: • Up to Rs. 1.0 Mn per acre for replanting and infilling. • Up to Rs. 1.5 Mn per acre for replanting/infilling combined with irrigation systems. • Covers soil rehabilitation, land prep, mechanisation, inputs, nurseries, and irrigation. • Eligibility & Repayment Model: • Open to registered tea smallholders supplying green leaf to SLTFOA-member tea factories. • Repayments are deducted directly from green-leaf deliveries to factories, secured by corporate guarantees from participating tea factories. • Priority given to low-productivity holdings, aged bushes, and female applicants.