The Tea Board India has asked tea estates and small tea growers across India to avoid using chemicals or pesticides that have no label claim for tea in their plantations.
Rajnigandha Seal Naskar, the Tea Board’s controller of licensing, issued a directive on December 21 advising the growers against the use of 20 banned insecticides specified by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
These insecticides do not carry any label informing users whether or not they are suitable for tea bushes.
“The presence of such banned insecticides or any other chemicals having no label claim for tea shall be viewed seriously by Tea Board, as deemed fit, for further action,” the directive said.
The Tea Board also urged all tea producers’ associations and small tea growers’ associations to sensitise their members accordingly.
Mixed reaction
The Confederation of Indian Small Tea Growers’ Associations has welcomed the Tea Board directive and sought extensive awareness campaigns among the small tea farmers, who contribute 55% to the national tea production.
Associations of larger tea producers, however, said the Tea Board should have conducted research for suitable alternatives before taking action. “Pest control has become crucial due to climate change. A bar on the use of pesticides may affect tea output, which dipped marginally this year compared to 2022,” a planter said.
