As nearly 40,000 citizens signed a petition asking tea companies to clean up chai, The Wagh Bakri Group, India’s third largest tea packager, on Thursday said it would support Greenpeace’s attempts to eliminate pesticides from tea cultivation in the country.
Wagh Bakri has engaged with Greenpeace India whose report “Trouble Brewing” and highlighted pesticide residue in tea samples recently.
Hindustan Unilever Ltd and Girnar Tea have already announced their commitment to support the ecosystem-based approach and gradual phase out of pesticides, since the launch of the Greenpeace study.
“Wagh Bakri has set a precedent for other Indian tea companies to do the right thing for the consumer, growers and the environment. We now urge the remaining tea companies, including Tata Global Beverages Ltd, to follow suit and commit to clean chai for their consumers,” said Neha Saigal, Senior Campaigner, Greenpeace India.
Wagh Bakri has committed to invest in pilots, along with other stakeholders, to facilitate the development and evaluation of non-chemical crop protection management with an approach of holistic rejuvenation of the ecosystem. This initiative has the potential to lay a firm foundation for the industry, regulatory authorities and tea growers to further develop a clear roadmap at the end of the pilots for achieving sustainable crop practices and livelihood in tea cultivation, she said.
Since the launch of the Greenpeace report, over 40,000 people across India have supported the campaign and signed the petition urging the tea companies to clean chai now.