Tea growers in Phu Tho province harvest tea buds (Photo: VNA)PhuTho (VNA) – Described as the cradle of Vietnam’s tea, the northernmountainous province of Phu Tho has carried out a host of measures to develop thecrop in a sustainable manner and ensure its quality and food safety.
Thishas helped with developing the Phu Tho tea brand and turning the crop into itskey agricultural staple.
Localfarmers have primarily grown low-quality varieties that yield black tea forexport with low returns, and this made them turn their back to the work.However, authorities have now introduced incentives to encourage them to expandcultivation areas and plant high-yield varieties instead.
Teahas gradually become a major contributor to local economic development and povertyreduction. Many villages, cooperatives, and processing firms specialising in teaproduction have been set up in the area, and they team up with one another toensure raw materials, stable output, and clear product origin.
TheVan Mieu cooperative is home to more than 20 ha of tea and has links with an additional70 ha owned by local households to ensure safe production. The shift towards growingtea from traditional methods to safe production methods, however, requires proficiencyand time-consuming techniques.
ViceChairwoman of the Thanh Son District People’s Committee Dinh Thi Kieu An saidthe district has helped local residents improve the soil, use organicfertilisers, and replace old varieties of tea with high-quality ones with largeryields.
Output,along with quality, has increased significantly and hit an average of 13 tonnesper ha, she noted.
Establishedin 2017, the Phu Thinh cooperative in Phu Ho commune has built a concentratedproduction area spanning over 22 ha, yielding in excess of 500 tonnes of teaannually.
Ithas worked with the Northern Mountainous Agriculture and Forestry ScienceInstitute to come up with new varieties and arrange training on safe teaproduction, food safety, and VietGap standards.
Productsfrom the cooperative have gained a foothold in the market and tea viewed as amajor crop of the commune.
PhuTho province has more than 16,000 ha of tea, yielding more than 185,000 tonnesper year. Cultivation areas for new tea varieties represent 75.3 percent.
Theprovince ships materials for processing black tea to countries such as India,China, Germany, the UK, and Pakistan.
Meanwhile,areas for green tea production have been zoned off in the districts of Tan Son,Thanh Son, and Doan Hung, among others.
Toremove bottlenecks, the local agricultural sector and agencies have reviewedcurrent tea production establishments.
Accordingly,there are 55 companies, each capable of processing 1 tonne of fresh tea leaves perday, together with 14 cooperatives, 18 villages, one farm, and nearly 900small-sized processing establishments.
Someprocessing plants have linked up with cooperatives and tea-growing groups to guaranteestable material supplies and to control product quality. More than 3,300 ha oftea have been produced under safe procedures to date.
PhuTho has also carried out the building of production models as part of theQuality and Safety Enhancement of Agricultural Products and Biogas DevelopmentProject (QSEAP), which are based in major tea-growing districts.
Theyserve as a basis for the production of high-quality tea that avoids the abuseof inorganic fertilisers and pesticides.
Inthe time to come, the province will continue to restructure its tea sector towardsefficiency and sustainability. It is set to mobilise more than 118 billion VND (5.1million USD) for projects improving productivity and quality.
Atthe same time, it will seek ways to switch to modern technologies and equipment,in a broad effort to increase product value and the incomes of tea growerswhile developing a Phu Tho tea brand./.
