Sirisena To Write A Letter To Putin Seeking To Get Tea Exports Ban Lifted: Navin To Visit Russia For Talks

December 18, 2017

President Maithripala Sirisena would soon a letter to Russian President Vladmir Putin seeking to get the Tea export ban on Sri Lanka lifted.

Meanwhile, it is also learnt that a ministerial delegation, led by Minister of Plantations Navin Dissanayake will fly to Russia soon to discuss the possibility of lifting the ban. 

Russia banned tea exports from Sri Lanka following the detection of an insect in a stock of tea imported from Sri Lanka, last week. 

The Sri Lanka Tea Board, in a statement last week, maintained that the detection of an insect is an "isolated incident" that was not a reflection on the quality of Sri Lanka tea exports. 

The Sri Lankan authorities, however,  have already launched an investigation into the incident.

Russia is one of the largest tea markets for Sri Lanka.