Hayleys Plantations showcases tea innovations from field to factory to Ambassador of Japan to Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s leading plantations company, Hayleys Plantations, supported by Japan Sri Lanka Technical and Cultural Association (JASTECA), hosted an exclusive tour to Pedro Estate in Nuwara Eliya, part of Kelani Valley Plantations PLC, for the Ambassador of Japan to Sri Lanka, His Excellency Hideaki Mizukoshi, Madam Mizukoshi and Second Secretary – Political/Economic & Development Cooperation/Protocol Section, Kaori Imai.

“It has been a pleasure to witness how Sri Lanka’s world renowned tea is manufactured. We were privileged to visit the beautiful tea fields and experience the new innovations in sustainability and HR pioneered by Hayleys Plantations. Employees are at the heart of any enterprise and this was clearly evident during the discussions I had with some of the employees. I wish the company all the best in their future endeavors and applaud the unique processes and systems they have put in place with the support of JASTECA,” Ambassador of Japan to Sri Lanka H.E. Hideaki Mizukoshi stated.

During the tour, the company’s management team, led by Hayleys Plantations Managing Director, Dr. Roshan Rajadurai, and joined by Kelani Valley Plantations PLC Director/ CEO, Anura Weerakoon and Head/ General Manager HR & Corporate Sustainability, Anuruddha Gamage, who is also the Vise President of JASTECA, showcased the positive impacts of the company’s innovative, modernized approach to sustainable plantations management – from field to factory.

“The Pedro Estate and Kelani Valley Plantations teams are deeply honoured by His Excellency’s visit to our estates. During the tour, we had the privilege of demonstrating our unparalleled commitment to producing the highest quality signature Ceylon Tea, all while maintaining the highest global standards in our industry on environmental protection, and leading the way towards sustainable livelihoods, and a dignified quality of life for our employees,” Hayleys Plantations Managing Director, Dr. Roshan Rajadurai said.      

The Ambassador’s tour commenced with a brief visit to tea plantations on Pedro Estate, where Hayleys Plantations has been using electronic weighing scales linked to personalized NFC cards which accurately record each harvesters produce.

Ambassador Hideaki also took the opportunity to speak directly to Hayleys Plantations employees about their experiences, including employees who have benefited from the company’s pioneering efforts to phase out daily wage working models in favour of a more dynamic revenue sharing model.  

The Kelani Valley Plantations team including the Pedro team led by Regional General Manager, Dilum Pathirana also showcased the impact of its award winning ‘Home for Every Plantation Worker’ initiative, which has resulted in the construction of high-quality housing projects, benefiting more than 8700+ employees and 58000+ their families. The team also provided an overview of the extraordinary welfare initiatives carried out by the company over the past two years in order to further mitigate the impact of the ongoing economic crisis.    

Comprising three top-rated Regional Plantation Companies, Kelani Valley Plantations PLC (KVPL), Talawakelle Tea Estates PLC (TTEL) and Horana Plantations PLC (HPL) which is managed by Hayleys Plantations, The Sector owns 60 tea and rubber estates covering approximately 26 hectares of land spanning three distinctive agro-climatic regions.

As pioneers in the tea and rubber industry, Hayleys Plantations is the world’s most awarded and certified sustainable plantations on human capital management, ecological friendliness, community, people empowerment and ethical business standards. Currently, Hayleys Plantations offers direct employment to over 21,000 employees and cares for a population of over 140,000.