Anxiety Over Agrochemical Brews in Bengal's Tea Belt

Manas R. Bannerjee, SNS, Mugur, 23 April 2025 : In a curious twist of timing on 21 April, the tea industry saw a strong brew of concern and caution pour into government corridors. As Tea Research Association (TRA) secretary Joydeep Phukan penned a detailed letter to Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, urging regulatory leniency for agrochemicals still under scientific review, the state's agriculture department responded with a sharp note of its own—on the very same day.

TRA, India's premier tea research body, lauded the West Bengal government's proactive formation of task forces to monitor restricted agrochemical use in tea plantations. But it also flagged an urgent reality: rising pest attacks, fueled by climate change, have led to a 13.44 percent crop loss in early 2024.

The Association called for a balanced approach: don't penalize tea gardens using trial-phase pesticides or approved biopesticides not yet listed under the Tea Board's Plant Protection Code (PPC). Hours later, the state's joint director of agriculture (plant protection & quality control) issued a directive to all pesticide suppliers dealing with tea gardens. They must urgently submit their client lists, with stern warnings of license suspension under the Insecticide Act if non-PPC materials are found in circulation.

It's a moment of simmering tension—and calls for scientific sensibility—in Bengal's tea gardens.