Several tea small holders said the price of a kilo of fresh tea leaf has dropped drastically to Rs 150 at present from the new high of Rs300 a few months ago.

One of the key issues confronting the tea industry is the decline in productivity, notably in tea plantations of such major producers as Kenya, India, and Indonesia.

The price of kilo of cinnamon has dropped to Rs 2000 from Rs 500 sometimes back.Sri Lanka has about 35,000 hectares of cinnamon, which are mainly grown in the Galle and Matara districts, with about 60,000 farmers and 300,000 workers earning a living from the labour intensive and low-paid industry.