Jorhat, Feb. 26: The Tocklai Tea Research Institute is preparing itself for "testing" times.
It has planned to set up a world-class laboratory to test maximum residue levels in tea, the first of its kind in the country to be instituted by the tea industry.
Industry sources said there are only six laboratories to test the maximum residue levels, with the Tea Research Association having two small labs - one in Calcutta and another at Tocklai here. United Planters' Association of South India has one and private companies own the rest.
Tea Research Association vice-chairman P.K. Bezboruah told The Telegraph about the laboratory today on the sidelines of the inaugural function of a two-day national seminar at the institute.
He said Tocklai has decided to set up the laboratory to test samples of tea in view of strict food safety laws coming into place in the country.
The seminar is on Plant Protection in Tea: Recent Advances, organised by the association in association with Tea Improvement Consortium National working Group on Plant Protection. Former Tea Board chairman and Assam additional chief secretary M.G.V.K. Bhanu inaugurated the seminar.
The seminar hopes to disseminate knowledge on recent advances in plant protection strategies. It will discuss ways to develop mechanisms to cope with the situation arising out of the inherent ability of insects to adapt to new host plants and restrictions on use of toxic chemicals after the implementation of the plant protection code from January 1.
Bezboruah said a Rs 55-crore proposal to set up a state-of-the-art analytical laboratory at Tocklai and another at Dibrugarh was submitted to the Union commerce ministry nearly six months ago, and the Centre was in the process of sanctioning it.
Bezboruah, a well-known tea planter and former chairman of the Assam Tea Planters' Association, said at present, the Tocklai laboratory could test only four tea samples per day, but the two proposed laboratories would be able to test 100 samples per day.
The Tea Research Association's vice-chairman said in view of the implementation of the plant protection code, the management of a tea estate has to certify that toxic chemicals banned under the code have not been used in the plantations while sending the stocks for sale.
He said a planter could be made liable for prosecution if random checks on tea carried out by the government found any material which could pose health hazards to consumers. A planter could face criminal charges if anything toxic was found in tea and the maximum residue level was above the prescribed limit.
Bezboruah said there would be a huge demand for tests on tea samples daily and hence a modern big facility was the need of the hour.
The secretary of the association, Joydeep Phukan, said anticipating this huge demand, it has decided to expand its facilities.
The association's director, N. Muraleedharan, in his welcome address, outlined challenges like climatic change affecting production, difficulties in tackling pests and the need for strict adherence to rules set by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.
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