Global fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) major Unilever announced it is initiating a study to evaluate the environmental and economic feasibility of applying biological or non-pesticide methods for plant protection of tea crops in India.
A statement from Unilever said this is part of the company’s Sustainable Living Plan, where it has committed that by 2020 all its agricultural raw materials will be produced using sustainable crop practices. The company is committed to raising standards in tea production by reducing or eliminating pesticides in tea growing, in partnership with its suppliers and farmers.
Unilever has chosen CABI (formerly Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux International), an inter-governmental, not-for-profit organisation, to conduct the research project.
Unilever said that in the coming weeks, CABI will review existing practices of crop protection and the limitations of current techniques in India. In cooperation with the Tea Board of India, the Tea Research Institutes and key industry partners, CABI will than design protocols for pilot field-trials to investigate novel approaches for biological, non-pesticide management of pests aiming at a holistic rejuvenation of the eco system.
The Tea Board of India is already doing pioneering work in the area through Trustea and recently launched a new Plant Protection Code (PPC), Unilever said, adding that the data and recommendations from the research will be made public and will guide Indian industry and Unilever’s next steps.
