The state agriculture department has issued an order instructing all insecticide manufacturers to furnish the list of tea estates to whom they provide such chemicals.

The move is seen as another attempt by the state government to prevent the use of insecticides that are banned in the tea sector.

On April 21, the joint director of agriculture (plant protection & quality control) issued the order, asking the manufacturers to submit the list of tea estates to which they sell the insecticides.

“This step was essential to prevent the sale of pesticides and insecticides, which have been banned for the cultivation of tea. Only PPFs (plant protection formulations) or chemicals that are approved through the PPC (plant protection code) can be used in the tea gardens,” said a senior official of the department.

In the past few months, the Mamata Banerjee government has taken some initiatives to stop the use of banned chemicals. The steps were taken after the Tea Board of India and the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) came up with a comprehensive list of chemicals that cannot be used for the cultivation of tea.

“We want to ensure that tea isn't produced in Bengal with banned chemicals. Such practice also affects the tea market, especially the overseas tea market. That is why the sale of such insecticides has to be stopped in the tea sector,” the official said.

In the communication, the agriculture department said officials in the tea growing districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Cooch Behar and North Dinajpur were asked to keep tabs on the us of banned pesticides.

“They will constantly monitor whether the manufacturers are supplying the non-PPC materials to the tea gardens. In case there is any violation, steps would be taken against the manufacturer concerned, which can even amount to permanent suspension of their licences,” said a source.

Those associated with the tea industry have welcomed the initiative. “We welcome the decision. But simultaneously, we have urged the state to allow use of some chemicals which have been approved but have not been updated in the PPC,” said Bijoygopal Chakraborty, the president of the Confederation of Indian Small Tea Growers Associations.