Here’s a Solution to Make Tea Pesticides Free & Adhere to Stringent EU Norms
Imagine a situation, where one can use as much pesticide and insecticide as is required and then once the fruit, vegetable or leaf is harvested, remove most of the objectionable stuff on the surface completely using a non-toxic and completely safe water-based product.
Close on the heels of European Union banning sales of the widely-used insecticide chlorpyrifos after January 31 and amidst growing global concerns over application of pesticides and insecticides in fruits, vegetables and other food products, Dubai-based multinational- UMC, engaged in providing viable and green solutions globally, has come up with a concentrated liquid solution, called Ecorich VFW with the property of washing chemical, pesticides and insecticides from the surface of tea leaf and other vegetables.
Imagine a situation, where one can use as much pesticide and insecticide as is required and then once the fruit, vegetable or leaf is harvested, remove most of the objectionable stuff on the surface completely using a non-toxic and completely safe water-based product. Sounds hyperbole? –Not really. Ecorich VFW actually does that, claimed Vinay Paranjpe, director, UMC.
The company is working closely with the Tea Research Association (TRA) and is awaiting its certification to launch this product commercially in India, targeting the tea sector, in particular. TRA operates The Tlabs chain of research laboratories for strictly monitoring tea quality and pesticides residue levels in the country under the Foods Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Various quality parameters being monitored by FSSAI include pesticide residues, presence of heavy metals, iron fillings and toxic substances. Tlabs also has collaboration with various industry bodies across the world that deal with tea including Tea & Herbal Infusions Europe, UK, the Iran Tea Association. UMC has teamed up with Pune-based Sangee BioChem to bring to the markets this unique and innovative product. They have also applied for a global patent to protect IP for this unique product.
Paranjpe said that tea is considered as a ‘health beverage’ due to its antioxidant properties and resultant beneficial effects on human health and it is all but natural that such a beverage should, by all means, be devoid of toxic elements like pesticide residues and heavy metals. However, like other agricultural commodities, tea is also prone to pest’s attacks. Each tea growing areas has its own idiosyncratic pests and diseases, though several of them might have been recorded from more than one region. And pesticides such as dicofol, ethion, quinalphos, hexaconazole, fenpropathrin, fenvalerate and propargite are used for pest and disease control in tea.
He said that Ecorich VFW is an eco-friendly product. It is sulphate-free, phosphate-free, dioxane-free, nitrosamines-free. It does not contain any solvents, chlorine or acids.
Interestingly, the company is looking forward to tapping the large-small tea growers segment. This segment now accounts for nearly 47 per cent of India’s tea production. Various tea companies are now procuring some 500 million kg (mkg) of green leaf annually from the smallholders. This means, about 125 mkg of made tea comes from company-owned factories using the green leaf bought from smallholders. And in the wake of the growth of small tea growers, sustainable sourcing is important to reassure consumers that their cup of tea is produced in a manner that is economically, environmentally and socially just for communities and ecosystems. There is a need for pesticides that are organic, eco-friendly, biodegradable, and non-toxic. Ecorich VFW can fill that space, said Paranjpe.
