... footnote - just to give an idea of the possible scale of this... In Ceylon, under Dutch control, there were valuable cinnamon plantations across the island. In the 19th century [when the British took control] they turned to a more profitable crop, coffee Thousands of acres of rainforest were cleared to cultivate coffee on this island - this was known as the coffee rush. But then out of nowhere came a blight - coffee leaf rust, a plant disease, and entire plantations withered and the industry was decimated. It was only after that [in 1867] that tea was introduced and grown on plantations. Obviously that is what Sri Lanka is now known for, and Sri Lanka is now the world
