Socio-economic status of tea small-holders in hills of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Tea small-holders play a vital role in the economy of Sri Lanka. An attempt has been made here to examine the issues impacting the living style and status of tea small-holders in hilly areas. The study was carried out in tea-growing areas of Nuwara Eliya district. Multiple stage random sampling procedure was followed to select the sample. Twenty five households from each of the selected villages (three) were randomly chosen. The data were collected through well-structured and pretested questionnaire for the year 2007-2008. Tabular techniques were employed. The results revealed that main source of income of the study area is Tea cuhivation. Majority of the households belonged to low or medium income groups; the income of 14% of the households does not meet their expenditure. Livelihood of the sample population can be improved by providing knowledge on farming and services of the relevant institutions as well as availability of inputs at reasonable prices.