History of Ceylon Tea

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka donated two metric tons of Ceylon Tea as a gesture of solidarity and goodwill to the flood victims of Pakistan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Foreign Minister Ali Sabry handed over the donation to the Pakistan High Commissioner Umar Farooq Burki at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday September 05, the ministry said in a tweet that evening.

A ministry official told EconomyNext that the donation consists of around two tons of Ceylon Tea and will be sent to Karachi, Pakistan, onboard a SriLankan Airlines flight. Karachi, the city closest in proximity to affected areas.

Pakistan is undergoing a period of floods, as the monsoon season has started for South East Asia. The floods in Pakistan have affected 116 out of 154 districts in Pakistan, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe, meanwhile, expressed his condolences to Pakistan’s Prime Minister over the phone on Saturday September 03 and expressed solidarity with the government and people of Pakistan braving the unforeseen natural calamity.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said in an interview with CNBC that he fears the damages from the disaster will exceed current estimates of 10 billion US dollars.

A statement issued by Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) showed that flood fatalities had gone up to 1,325 while 12,703 have been reported injured since June 14. Livestock impacted by the floods is estimated to be 750,481.

WHO anticipates that Pakistan’s current situation will highly likely increase the spread of disease especially if/when response capacities are hindered.

Pakistan is also facing an economic meltdown after being severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and depleting foreign reserves. The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics reported its highest inflation since 1975, with inflation recorded at 27.4 percent for August. (Colombo/Sep06/2022)