Support from companies like Ahmad Tea underscores the sector's importance and highlights the lack of sufficient research on climate impacts, despite the industry's global significance.

Tea cultivation in Sri Lanka is a crucial part of the economy and society, producing up to 300 million tonnes annually and employing over 2.5 million people, but it faces serious threats from increasing droughts and heatwaves caused by climate change.

Tea plants are fragile, taking two years to grow and living up to a century, yet they are highly vulnerable to extreme weather conditions, which can destroy plantations and significantly reduce yields.

Thamali Kariyawasam is specifically studying ancient tea samples to learn how various tea varieties manage water stress, with the goal of breeding more resilient cultivars.

Climate change is already raising costs, reducing yields, and threatening the stability of tea production, with insufficient public awareness or investment in adaptation strategies.

Mrs. Kariyawasam points out that the loss of established tea plants due to climate stress results in severe economic and agricultural setbacks.

Researchers at the University of Bristol and collaborating institutions are studying historic tea samples, including 200-year-old specimens from Kew Gardens, to understand how different varieties cope with water stress.

Zahra Afshar from Ahmad Tea stresses the urgent need for resilience efforts, as limited research exists on how climate change affects tea, which is vital for sustaining the industry and preventing economic hardship.

Research indicates a significant gap in understanding climate change's effects on tea, emphasizing the necessity of developing resilient cultivars to safeguard livelihoods and the industry.

The research aims to identify and develop drought-resistant tea cultivars that require less water while maintaining quality, ensuring continued production despite climate challenges.

Afshar highlights that resilient farming practices are essential to ensure the future of tea cultivation amid increasing climate stresses.

Climate-induced droughts and heatwaves cause biochemical changes in tea leaves that can alter flavor, diminish crop yields, or wipe out plantations altogether, impacting farmers and the global tea industry.