Guwahati, March 22

According to tea scientists, bugs like helopeltis and insects like looper caterpillar, are showing signs of resistance to the usual common pesticides, which is bad news for the tea gardens in north Bengal and Assam. Virulent pest attacks last year destroyed large volumes of tea and caused a huge deficit in the country’s total output.

Due to overuse or misuse of a pesticide, pest species developed immunity. Organic pest control methods have not succeeded at a commercial level and European Union nations are very watchful against maximum residual level (MRL) of the pesticides. Tea planters are warily waiting for exports to start in May since they are to obey different parameters of MRL for different countries.