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There are several other agrochemical molecules not yet been classified as banned or hazardous, and their efficacy and safety are under scientific review.
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VEDHAN M
In a step towards monitoring the use of agro chemicals by the tea industry in West Bengal, the government has asked all the insecticide manufacturers and distributors supplying pesticides to tea gardens in the State, to send the list of the tea growers they supply the pesticides to.
The State Government has told all license holders for manufacturing and distributing insecticides to treat this instruction as ‘‘extremely important and urgent”
The West Bengal Labour Department had last year issued a gazette notification to stop the sale of teas with pesticides banned by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
Tea Research Association (TRA), the oldest and premier tea research organisation in India, said that the steps taken by the West Bengal Government in monitoring the use of restricted chemicals such as Monocrotophos, Acephate, Fipronil, Dinutifuron and others through the formation of the State level and district level task force was a laudable step towards agro chemical use compliance by the tea industry in the State.
“These chemicals are proven to pose significant risks to both human health and the environment and must be excluded from all agricultural operations within the tea sector,” TRA Secretary Joydeep Phukan said in a letter to Manoj Pant, IAS Chief Secretary, West Bengal.
In the letter dated April 21, Phukan said the climate change resulted in rising temperatures and prolonged dry spells creating ideal conditions for the proliferation of pests and diseases. While pest and disease outbreaks were previously observed, their intensity has dramatically increased in recent years. Major pests affecting tea plantations include Tea Mosquito Bug (Helopeltis theivora), Looper Caterpillar (Hyposidra talaca), Green Fly (Empoasca flavescens), and Thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis).
According to estimates from the Tea Board India, crop loss in tea from January to July, 2024 was around 13.44 per cent compared to the previous year which was majorly due to climatic factors, limitation of approved plant protection formulations and pending notification of maximum residual limits (MRLs).
In the current year upto April, there were incidences of major pest attacks in North Bengal region.
“In the above context, there are several other agrochemical molecules currently available in the market which do not have label claim for use in tea and are undergoing trial and data evaluation phases by TRA. These substances have not yet been classified as banned or hazardous, and their efficacy and safety are under scientific review,” Phukan said in the letter, adding some of these compounds such as Acetamiprid and Imidacloprid which have been found to be very effective and data generated for submission to Central Insecticides Board Registration Committee.
There are certain new generation chemicals such as Chlorfenapyr, Tolfenpyroid, and Solomon for which data is being generated by TRA for submission to the Central Insecticides Board Registration Committee (CIBRC). TRA has also asked the Tea Board to seek ad hoc approval for Chlorfenapyr for its importance for export consignments to the EU since neonicotinoids have been restricted by the European Commission.
In this context, TRA has urged the State Government of West Bengal to consider— if no punitive measures are taken against the use of agrochemicals that are currently under trial or evaluation and not listed under PPC. And, if plantations are not penalised for the use of chemicals pending final regulatory decisions by CIBRC.
In the letter, Phukan added, “This balanced approach will help maintain the agronomic health of tea plantations without compromising compliance or safety and will give time for scientific assessment to guide future regulatory action.”
Published on April 23, 2025
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