Production of organic tea in Darjeeling is increasing as consumers in the West refuse to import tea with pesticide residues
A LARGE number of tea gardens in
Darjeeling have switched over to organic
tea. No inorganic fertilisers, pesticides
and wcedicides are used. The planters
only use bio-compost, biomass-based
mulching is being used as fertilisers.
Similarly, only neem-based pesticides
and weedicides like Neerrigold and
Neemazol are used. Organic tea is
meant only for export.
More than 80 per cent of Darjeeling
tea is exported. Germany, Japan and
Britain being the main buyers. The
remaining 20 per cent of Darjeeling tea
is consumed in the domestic market. In
the recent past, some consignments of
Darjeeling tea have been rejected by
Germany, because the maximum
residue limit (MRL) of certain chemicals
was beyond the prescribed limits.
Germany, USA and UK have laid down
some norms regarding MRL.
The norms and conditions for
organic tea have been laid down and it is
certified by the Institute of Marketocology in Germany. For a conventional
tea producing garden to become organic,
it has to stop using fertilisers, pesticides
and weedicides for three years. After
that the garden is inspected by the
representative of the Institute of
Marketocology and is certified as an
organic garden. According to R K Dixit,
president of Teesta Valley tea garden,
with most of the Darjeeling gardens
going organic, the production of
Darjeeling tea is decreasing.
The pricing of Darjeeling organic tea
depends on the international buyers.
According to Kalyan Mukherjee of
Goodricke Tea, "the tea is the buyers
market and not the sellers market". Tea
is sold directly to the international
buyers as well as indirectly through
auction market.
Darjeeling gardens are now producing the finest organic tea in the world
but at the cost of the reduction in the
crop yield. The prices, too are not
increasing commensurately, although
occasionally a certain amount of tea
from some gardens
has fetched phenomenal or fancy
prices, the recent
one being nearly Rs
28,000 per kg. The
Castleton tea garden
(Goodricke company) in 1991 produced tea
which fetched the price of
Rs 13,001 per kg in
the auction. It is hoped that the 'organic
champagne tea' will command a good
price.
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