An investigation carried out by Greenpeace India has found residues of hazardous chemical pesticides in a majority of samples of the main brands of packaged tea produced and consumed in India. Over half of the samples contained pesticides that are ‘unapproved’ for use in tea cultivation of which were present in excess of recommended limits.
The results indicate that the cultivation of tea in India continues to rely on of the use o a diverse range of pesticides, consistent with previous analyses of pesticide residues in tea produced in India. This dependency on pesticides is an inherent part of the current system of industrial agriculture and in the cultivation of tea in other countries.