The Hindu Business Line : UPASI survey on pesticide residues in tea

The TRF has decided to put in place a regular monitoring system and do the tests at least 2 or 3 times in a year. The survey is expected to cover a large number of factories in the southernregion.

Coimbatore , Sept. 17

The UPASI Tea Research Foundation (TRF) has commenced, last month, yet another survey to monitor the levels of pesticide residues in tea.

The survey this time would cover at least 50 per cent of the factories in each plantation district, Dr Muraleedharan, Director, UPASI TRF, told Business Line.

From just taking samples of high quality teas for testing, the TRF has decided to put in place a regular monitoring system and do the tests at least two or three times in a year.

The survey is expected to cover a large number of factories in the southernregion.

Residue profile

"The entire pesticide residue profile should emerge from this.

"We do the multi-residue test, for which we charge Rs 5,500 per analysis. We have decided to do it for free now.

"We have just initiated the process and are hoping to complete it by the next month or so. We intend to do the tests in different seasons as well," he said.

This regular monitoring, according to Dr Muraleedharan, would, besides giving a feedback to the factory management, also ensure that estates adopt safe practices in the usage of plant protection chemicals.

He conceded that it would be feasible to offer the services for free over the long run.

The TRF's efforts, he added, were aimed at creating awareness about the pesticide residue content in the teas from the different estates.

The Director (Research), Tea Board, Dr T.C. Chaudhuri, stated that the Board not only played a crucial role in ensuring no trade barriers came to tea on account of pesticides residues but was also directly involved in monitoring the logistics of developing standards for residue contents of various pesticides now being used on tea in India.

Residue limit

The UPASI TRF Director, while stating that several pesticides were available in India, pointed out that only a few were registered for use in tea.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has notified the maximum residue limit of only a few chemicals such as ethion, dicofol, quinalphos, glyphosphate and fenazaquin.

The MRL for three other chemicals - propargite, fenpropathrin and hexaconazole have been finalised and the notification expected shortly, he said.

The use of neem formulations, sulphur and copper oxychloride were exempt from the maximum residue limit, he added.

More Stories on : Tea | Standards & Benchmarks | Pesticides

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