The Tea Heart of Bengal: A New Era of Safety

The Bengal government has announced plans to establish two food safety laboratories in Terai and Dooars, the first of their kind in north Bengal, aimed at ensuring tea quality compliance. This decision follows a meeting led by Labour Minister Moloy Ghatak, with industry stakeholders and officials discussing concerns related to tea gardens.

A task force, including scientists from the Tea Research Association, will be responsible for overseeing compliance. The government has recently issued a notification mandating rigorous checks for banned pesticides and insecticides in tea gardens.

The West Bengal Tea Directorate, in collaboration with the Labour Commissioner, has been tasked with enforcing regulations to prevent the use, storage, and sale of tea produced with restricted chemicals. Customs officials at border check posts will only allow tea imports with proper clearance reports.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.