Ilam, November 13

Farmers here are worried at selling organic tea and tea produced with the use of pesticides at same price due to lack of laboratory to test quantity of pesticides in the tea.

“Tea produced without using pesticides should cost more but we are forced to sell organic green tea at the same price due to the unavailability of a laboratory to test the extent of pesticides in inorganic tea,” said Dhan Bahadur Yangbali, former chairperson of Eastern Small Tea Farmer Association.

There are three factories of corporations and 10 of private sector to process the green tea produced by three corporations and around 5,000 farmers in Ilam, but no factory and tea producers has so far tested the extent of pesticides. Both types are sold at the same price, causing huge loss to tea farmers, added Yangbali.