The United Forum of Small Tea Growers Association has appealed to the principal secretary of the department of industry, commerce and enterprise to take strict measures against agrochemical vendors who are illegally selling prohibited chemicals in tea plantations.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has released a list of 20 chemicals that are prohibited for use in tea plantations. In this area, tea farmers commonly rely on Monocrotophos, Endosulfan and Acephate. Despite the government’s ban on Monocrotophos last year due to its high carcinogenicity, some agrochemical dealers continue to sell this forbidden product.

The Assam government has taken strict measures to monitor agrochemical shops and prevent the sale and purchase of banned substances, particularly Monocrotophos. This is because a large portion of the tea produced by factories in this region has been found to contain residual Monocrotophos, failing to meet FSSAI standards.

Consequently, many small tea growers have faced difficulties as Bought Leaf Factories (BLF) have stopped purchasing green leaves from them. These farmers are heavily influenced by local agrochemical dealers at the village level.

In the northern region of Bengal, nearly 90 per cent of Small Tea Growers rely on agents to sell their highly perishable products. This poses a challenge in identifying which growers are using banned chemicals and which agents are supplying green leaves from various gardens. Currently, there is no method or tools available to detect banned chemicals in green tea leaves at the factory level. To address this issue, a senior member of the United Forum suggests conducting awareness campaigns targeted towards these growers to discourage the use of banned chemicals and promote the use of approved ones by the Tea Research Association and Tea Board of India.

The Confederation of Indian Small Tea Growers Association’s President, Bijoy Gopal Chakraborty, proposes implementing strict measures to prevent the sale of Monocrotophos in the open market and organizing workshops or capacity building programs at factory levels with leaf agents and their enlisted growers to raise awareness.

“As small tea growers play a crucial role in the majority of tea production in the state, it is essential to spread general awareness about this critical issue,” Mr Chakraborty added.

According to the United Forum, a committee should be established, consisting of members from Growers and BLF associations, state agriculture department, and Tea Board, to conduct district-wise reviews. These reviews will occur quarterly until the situation improves. The Tea Research Association (TRA), in collaboration with the Tea Board and agriculture department, should work together to develop a machine that can detect banned chemicals in green tea leaves at the factory level. This machine will have a significant impact and help resolve the issue permanently.

Raising awareness among growers about the importance of using safe chemicals for tea production is crucial. However, it is not feasible for associations to educate nearly 50,000 small tea growers at grassroots or panchayat level.

According to them, financial assistance from the Tea Board is needed to organize awareness campaigns involving agriculture department and Tea Board’s development officers at the field level. While some campaigns have already begun with the support of the Tea Board, they are not sufficient and must be continuous.