Experts suggest chem-free ways to tackle new pests in tea

Scientists, tea planters and experts have suggested chemical-free efforts to deal with new pests in tea plants and set up a high quality laboratory for testing Maximum Residue Level (MRL) in tea.
The decision was taken after a two-day national seminar on Plant Protection in Tea at the Tocklai Tea Research Centre here.
The experts took a serious note of a consignment of Indian tea rejected by European countries recently claiming that it had a very high percentage of toxic chemicals.
At the meeting European Tea Committee expert Thomas Henn said consumer protection was a political priority in the European Union and food safety, including pesticides, was a key issue of consumer protection.

"Tea is known to be a healthy beverage and, therefore, from the consumers' aspect it has to be clean. There is a high sensitivity of consumers, specially with regard to pesticide residue," Henn said.
"If tea comes under discussion due to pesticide residue or other critical reasons, it will harm the whole tea market independent of the origin or type of tea concerned," he said.
The key person behind the seminar, Tocklai Tea Research Centre director Dr N Murulidharan suggested chemical-free efforts and identified three different types of insects, which would fight new pests in tea bushes.