FAIR TRADE USA TEA ORIGINS
OTHER 7%
INDIA 30%
SOUTH AFRICA 10%
CHINA 19%
tea," Morgan says. "Running right through the area might be a stream or a river, and the native habitat has all been taken out, and it's just tea right down to the stream. Ensuring that there are adequate buffers and there's reforestation or native plantings in watershed areas would be another goal that we're trying to address in tea." The environmental stakes get raised because tea farmers have a
tendency to use chemicals, like herbicides and pesticides, that can pose long-term problems. This is especially prevalent in India's Assam region, a major producing area, according to Byers. "Due to heavy monsoon rains, many herbicides are washed
away and become ineffective," he wrote. "This has made it difficult for tea farms in India to do without certain agrochemicals prohibited by Fair Trade and other trade standards." Agrochemicals also raise questions of worker protection.
RWANDA 23%
Source: Fair Trade USA Tea Report
"An additional [goal] is ensuring that the workers in the field that are actually applying any agrochemical are trained and properly equipped," Morgan says. "So if they are in a position where they need to be doing anything that's a dangerous job in general, they [should] have equipment to protect themselves, have access to showers, have training in how to apply [the chemicals] in a way that's healthy for them." The Rainforest
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EGYPT 6%
SRI
LANKA 5%
