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.