IFAD has provided US$ 65 million for replanting tea and rubber in several districts as part of the Smallholder Tea and Rubber Revitalisation (STaRR) project under the Ministry of Plantation Industries.

The STaRR project commenced in 2017. It aims to introduce new technology and systems to improve yield, and develop the tea and rubber smallholder sectors through banks and public-private partnerships (PPPs).

Country Programme Manager of the Asia-Pacific Division of IFAD Tarek Kotb stated: “Sri Lanka needs to diversify its value chain and bring in new technology to produce high quality products for the global markets.”

Speaking on the STaRR project, he added that “IFAD is pleased with the work done through the project. However, it is not easy as there are many limitations that need to be addressed. We monitor the progress of the projects on a regular basis through our missions.”