The Tea Research Institute of Sri Lanka (TRI), the pioneering research arm of the country’s most iconic export industry, is celebrating its centenary in 2025, marking 100 years of scientific excellence, innovation, and sustainability in tea cultivation and production.
Established in 1925 at St. Coombs Estate, Talawakelle, the institute has played a central role in shaping the trajectory of Sri Lanka’s tea industry, which today remains one of the world’s largest exporters of high-quality orthodox tea.
The centenary celebrations, held under the theme “Perfect Sip: Bridging Innovations, Sustainability and Lifestyles,” feature a series of milestone events, including the International Tea Symposium (InTSym100) and a staff felicitation ceremony recognizing decades of research contributions.
The symposium gathers global tea scientists, policymakers, and industry experts to discuss the future of tea through the lenses of innovation, climate resilience, and market diversification.
Over the past century, TRI’s scientific breakthroughs have transformed the productivity and sustainability of Sri Lanka’s tea sector. The institute has developed over 70 high-yielding tea cultivars, many with enhanced resistance to pests, drought, and fungal diseases.
Notably, the TRI 4042 and TRI 4049 series, introduced in recent years, have boosted per-hectare yields while maintaining the signature quality that has made Ceylon Tea a global brand.
In line with global environmental goals, TRI is currently implementing a regenerative agriculture programme aimed at restoring soil fertility and reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers.
The initiative encourages tea estates and smallholders to adopt organic matter recycling, mulching, and bio-composting techniques, which have already improved soil health and reduced input costs in several pilot regions such as Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura.
The institute’s commitment to technology dissemination has also evolved over time. Since the early 2000s, TRI has launched mobile laboratories, “crop clinics,” and digital extension services to deliver real-time advisory support to smallholder farmers who now contribute nearly 75% of Sri Lanka’s total tea output.
These outreach programmes are critical at a time when the industry is facing labour shortages, rising production costs, and shifting international price structures.
Despite global headwinds, the Sri Lanka tea industry continues to generate around US$1.2 billion annually, exporting approximately 250–270 million kilograms of tea to markets in the Middle East, Russia, and the EU.
TRI’s innovations in mechanisation, water management, and climate-adaptive planting have helped sustain productivity, even as unpredictable rainfall and soil erosion pose mounting threats to highland plantations.
However, insiders note that TRI faces significant challenges. Budgetary constraints, delays in research funding, and the retirement of senior scientists have created institutional gaps.
A recent internal review stressed the need for stronger industry–research collaboration, modernization of laboratories, and better digital infrastructure to ensure the institute’s continuity as a centre of excellence.
Speaking at the centenary inauguration, TRI Director Dr. (Name Placeholder) said the next decade will focus on “linking sustainability with profitability,” ensuring that both large estates and smallholders can benefit from science-based practices.
“We have a century of knowledge, but our real test lies in how we translate that into resilience and innovation for the next hundred years,” he noted.
As TRI enters its second century, the institute stands as both a guardian of Sri Lanka’s tea heritage and a driver of its scientific future bridging tradition and technology to ensure the world continues to savour the perfect cup of Ceylon Tea.
