NEW CODE GOVERNS INDIAN TEA INDUSTRY

Under a voluntary code known as Plant Protection Code (PPC), the Tea Board of India has announced new guidelines for the Indian tea planters. It strives on enhancing the quality of tea produced in the country.

The guidelines under PPC aims at ensuring the controlled usage of plant protection products, with strong adherence to safety standards as per the FSSAI, and also minimizing the usage of pesticides in tea growing.

As per the Tea Board, the code is a mix of Indian realities and globally accepted sustainability principles, covering every aspect of tea production and manufacturing.

Reason behind formulating this code is the increased demand of sustainable produce with an assurance that it would not have any harmful effect on the environment.

The Tea Board asserted that adhering to the food safety standards as inscribed by the FSSAI would enable the planters to safeguard the plantation environment, workers’ welfare, small farmers and also could guarantee a long term security supply.

In another version the code stressed on the fact that these guidelines could lead to maintain a competitive environment among the tea growers, as well as help them abide by the national codes and international standard of sustainability.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is another striking feature of the code, which means using suitable methods and techniques in such a way to minimize the pest incidence level to prevent economic loss of crops.

The code approves the permissible amount of different pesticides, insecticides, acaricides, fungicides and herbicides to be used in the tea plantation.

Based on extensive screening, the Central Insecticides Board (CIB) has listed 33 pesticides to be used in tea production in India.

The Tea research Institute have continuously been screening new potential chemicals, both for efficacy and residues. The screened chemicals then sent to the CIB and FSSAI label claim in tea, and fixation of limits in compliance with the Tea Board.

The motive behind the code is to make the tea growers aware of the safe usage of plant protection products and convince them to adopt the methodologies to minimize the pesticide residues in tea.

The code also motivates the farmers to be critical in use of plant protection formulations, reduce the use of those chemicals where possible and even if they apply; they must keep in mind the safest possible way.