Minister in-charge of labour, law, and judicial departments, Moloy Ghatak, has called a high-level meeting to discuss pressing concerns related to tea gardens and the tea industry in West Bengal.

The meeting is scheduled for 18 February 2025, at 4.30 p.m, and will be held in the chief secretary conference room on the 13th floor of Nabanna. Dr Manoj Pant will also attend the meeting.

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The meeting will include top officials such as the additional chief secretary of land & land reforms & RR&R department, the chairman of the Tea Board of India, the principal secretary of industry, commerce, and enterprises department, the inspector general of police (North Bengal), the labour commissioner, the deputy chairman of the Tea Board of India, the chairperson of the West Bengal Regional Committee of the Indian Tea Association, the general secretary of the Jalpaiguri District Small Tea Growers’ Association, the president of the North Bengal Small Tea Planters Association, and the Secretary of the Tea Research Association.

Additionally, district magistrates from Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, North Dinajpur, and South Dinajpur have been invited to join via video conference.

The meeting comes in the wake of a recent state government gazette notification issued on 11 February 2025, highlighting the unauthorised use of banned or restricted pesticides in tea gardens, particularly in North Bengal. Despite the prohibition, these harmful chemicals are reportedly being used secretly, and tea produced with such pesticides continues to be sold in West Bengal. This poses serious health risks to tea garden workers, consumers, and the environment, while also threatening the ecological balance and damaging the reputation of West Bengal’s tea in domestic and international markets.

Under Section 27 of the Insecticides Act, 1968, and the Insecticides (Prohibition) Order, 2023, the state government has been empowered to take necessary steps to enforce the ban.

The notification outlines several measures, including awareness campaigns to educate farmers, small tea growers, and stakeholders about the prohibition, prevention of unauthorised use and sale of banned pesticides, inspection, sampling, and testing of tea products, verification by customs officers at international and inter-state borders, and mandatory tea testing clearance reports for shipments.

The West Bengal Tea Directorate, operating under the labour department, will lead these efforts with support from the additional labour commissioner, North Bengal zone. District administrations have also been directed to provide necessary assistance to ensure compliance. This meeting aims to address these critical issues and formulate strategies to safeguard the tea industry, protect public health, and preserve the environment, official sources said.