THE ESSENTIAL OILS INDUSTRY IN SRI LANKA Devapriya ... - IFEAT

Paper presented at the IFEAT International Conference ‘Australia and New Zealand: Essential Oils and
Aroma Chemicals - Production and Markets’; Sydney, 2-6 Nov. 2003. Pages 172–175 in the Conference Proceedings.
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THE ESSENTIAL OILS INDUSTRY IN SRI LANKA
Devapriya Nugawela
Link Natural Products (Pvt) Ltd.
5 Independence Avenue, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka
[ dnugawela@linknaturalproducts.com ]
This paper provides a brief update on developments in the essential oil industry of Sri Lanka since my
last report at the IFEAT Hong Kong Conference in 1999.
Background
For those of you unfamiliar with my country, the
following is a brief background on its geography
and history.
Sri Lanka is an island located in the Indian Ocean
off the southern tip of the Indian subcontinent and
lies just above the equator.
Prior to independence, it was known as Ceylon
and many of our export products still retain this
name as the identifying prefix for the origin.
The history of the country is intimately linked
with its production of spices:
‘If the vagaries of wind and wave brought
the Portuguese to our shores, the lure of
Cinnamon caused them to stay’
Dr. Colvin R. de Silva
in Ceylon Under the British
The principal spice crops of Sri Lanka are:
• cardamom, clove, nutmeg and black
pepper, grown in the central hills; and
• cinnamon, grown in the southwest coastal
area
These raw materials provide feedstock for the Sri
Lankan essential oils industry.
In addition, citronella is grown for distillation in
the coastal area on the island’s southern tip.
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Cinnamon oils
Cinnamon is the only spice grown in Sri Lanka as a mono-crop on plantations. The peeled inner bark,
known as quills, is an important export item and the main market outlet is Mexico.
Cinnamon plantations
Cinnamon quills
Distillation of cinnamon bark is carried out both
by small distillation operations, located in the
growing areas, and by large companies.
Cinnamon leaf oil distillation is carried out solely
by small operations within the growing area.
The marketing chain leading to export of these
oils is illustrated opposite.
THE MARKETING SYSTEM
LARGE DISTILLERS OF
CINNAMON BARK
SMALL DISTILLERS OF
BARK AND LEAF IN
THE GROWING AREAS
EXPORT
COMMODITY
EXPORTER
Today, the large distillation companies utilize
modern equipment:
The trend in exports has been:
• for cinnamon bark oil, a modest growth over the past four years and with an annual output
almost double that of the early 1990s; while
• for cinnamon leaf oil, annual fluctuations of between 120-180 tonnes have been experienced.
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CINNAMON BARK OIL EXPORTS
1990-2002
CINNAMON LEAF OIL EXPORTS
1990-2002
Tonnes
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
Tonnes
200
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
Other oils
The charts below display the export figures for Sri Lanka’s other oils.
NUTMEG OIL EXPORTS
1990-2002
BLACK PEPPER OIL EXPORTS
1990-2002
35
25
30
25
20
Tonnes
20
15
Tonnes
15
10
10
5
5
0
0
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
CLOVE BUD OIL EXPORTS
1990-2002
CITRONELLA OIL EXPORTS
1990-2002
Tonnes
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
Tonnes
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
All of these oils have displayed year-to-year fluctuations in their production / export levels.
Nutmeg oil is the largest individual item with annual exports of 25-35 tonnes.
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The most notable amongst these oils is citronella, which continues in its decline trend.
Devapriya Nugawel, has 20 years experience within the industry. He is
the Managing Director of Link Natural Products (Pvt.) Ltd.,
manufacturers of essential oils and herbal health products in Sri Lanka
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