IMPACT OF THE TEA INDUSTRY ON THE SRI LANKAN ECONOMY

The Sri Lankan tea industry has a long commercial history. It is one of the major commercial plants to gain export earnings to the country. The tea industry in Sri Lanka is a major component of the agricultural sector. In this study, the research problem is How the Tea Industry Affects the Economy of Sri Lanka The objectives are this study, identify the relationship between the Sri Lankan economy based on GDP and the tea industry based on export performance in the Sri Lankan tea industry, identify the challenges pointed by the Sri Lanka tea industry and give recommendations for policymakers to improve tea industry. Secondary data were used in this study and MS Excel and SPSS statistical packages were used to represent and analyze data. Finally, this study has identified a negative relationship between the tea industry and the economy of Sri Lanka and gives recommendations for policymakers and the Sri Lankan government.