IT’S the cup that no longer cheers. A recent decision to allow duty-free import of tea from Sri Lanka has local producers up in arms against the government, alleging unfair competition and threat to the very survival of the 150-year-old industry. What’s worse, the decision has come without any reciprocal arrangement. Therefore, the industry laments, the joint move by the Prime Minister’s Office and the external affairs ministry has given Sri Lankan producers an unfair advantage.
