Assam: Minister Bimal Borah inaugurates Mobile Residues Testing Lab in Dibrugarh

A CORRESPONDENT

DIBRUGARH: In a significant development for the tea industry of Assam, State Commerce and Industry Minister Bimal Borah inaugurated a Mobile Residues Testing Lab for the testing of tea leaves on Monday at Dibrugarh. The advanced lab named ‘Eurofins Agro Laboratories’ has been introduced amid the ongoing controversy over the use of prohibited chemicals on raw tea leaves.

After inaugurating the state-of-the-art lab at the Teamafco tea factory in Alimur, Dibrugarh, Minister Bimal Borah appealed to all stakeholders to follow prescribed guidelines for the greater interest of the State’s tea industry.

“I would like to thank the Assam Bought Leaf Tea Manufacturers’ Association for bringing the mobile testing lab to Dibrugarh to check the tea leaves collected from small tea growers. This is a much needed step for the sustainability of our tea industry,” Borah said.  “This mobile lab will ensure the quality standards of chemicals used on tea leaves. This is the first laboratory in the 200-year history of Assam’s tea industry.

Tea leaves purchased by Bought Leaf factories from small tea growers and the made tea produced by the these factories will be tested in this laboratory,” said Chand Gohain, President, Assam Bought Leaf Tea Manufacturers’ Association (ABLTMA).

He added, “There will be sample collecting centres at various places including Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, etc. The launch of this Mobile Residues Testing Lab comes at a crucial time. It will empower our small and large tea growers alike, providing them with accessible, timely and reliable testing services right at their doorstep”.

Pankaj Jaiminy, Managing Director, Eurofins Analytical Services, India, said: “The global market’s demand for safe, residue-free tea is growing, and with increasing regulatory standards, it is imperative that our tea producers can meet and exceed these requirements. This state-of-the-art facility will enable us to test for pesticide residues in tea leaves swiftly and efficiently. In doing so, we take a giant leap towards safeguarding the health of consumers, ensuring the integrity of our tea, and maintaining our reputation on the world stage.”

It may be mentioned that there was a recent standoff between the ABLTMA and small tea growers, following the ABLTMA’s decision to shut down the Bought Leaf factories it owns because of use of chemicals by small tea growers. This practice made the tea leaves non-compliant to guidelines issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The decision posed a severe threat to the livelihood of small tea growers, and after their assurance to forgo the use of such chemicals (mostly as pesticides), the ABLTMA withdrew its decision to shut down its Bought Leaf factories.

The introduction of the Mobile Residues Testing Lab at this juncture to facilitate the testing of tea leaves at the tea estates is therefore being hailed as a forward-looking and positive step by ABLTMA. This will not only help small tea growers of the State, but also ensure adherence to tea production norms to address quality and safety concerns of tea consumers.      

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