Bhutan to test Indian tea for pesticides

EOI, Siliguri, 17 Aug: Concerned over the findings of the study by global NGO Greenpeace which claims to have detected pesticide in the Indian tea sold in the market, the Bhutan government’s food authority, Bhutan Agriculture and Regulatory Food Authority (BARFA), has decided to conduct tests on Indian tea that are sold within the Himalayan country.

BARFA has taken the decision to conduct the test on varities of Indian Tea sold in the their markets after the Greenpeace published the study report that they had allegedly found the presence of harmful pesticide residues including toxic dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane (DDT) in tea sold by leading brands.

Kinley Pelden, chief of BARFA’s quality control department, told Bhutan daily, Kuensel, that for consumer safety, health and consumer confidence of the people of Bhutan, the agency would conduct tests of the Indian tea products available in the market.

According to Pelden the tests would be carried out immediately for the assurance of Bhutanese consumers and the move was after the eye opener study published by the Indian NGO Greenpeace. BAFRA has a national food testing laboratory in Yusipang that carries out routine testing of food samples.

Refuting the study, the Tea Board of India has said it has reviewed the findings of the Greenpeace study and confirmed that all the samples tested complied with Indian laws and regulations, designed to protect consumers.

The tea board has also said the industry has been constantly taking steps to make tea cultivation even more sustainable and reduce reliance on synthetic plant protection products.