Tea trees - the "key" to Vo Tranh's development

Vo Tranh Commune has identified tea development as a key task in the process of restructuring the agricultural economy. The locality focuses on applying technical advances, standardizing production processes and increasing product value, considering this the "key" to effectively exploiting the advantages of soil and climate. Tea trees are becoming a livelihood support, helping local people build a stable life and increase income.

A corner of Vo Tranh commune.

Linking production with consumer markets

Concrete roads leading to the hamlets in Vo Tranh commune open up to lush green tea hills stretching far and wide. Early in the morning, when the dew is still on the leaves, people go to the fields to pick tea, the sound of laughter and chatter is bustling.

While picking young tea buds, Mrs. Pham Thi Tuyet in Goc Gao hamlet said: My family has more than 6 sao of tea grown for more than 10 years. Each batch yields about 600 kg of buds. Previously, tea was mainly roasted and sold at the local market, so the price was low. Since my family joined the cooperative and switched to organic farming, the soil is loose, the plants are healthier, the buds are beautiful and the flavor is stronger. The cooperative buys at 36,000-40,000 VND/kg of fresh buds, stable and higher than before. Thanks to that, family income has increased significantly, life is increasingly prosperous.

Realizing that collective economy is an important foundation for tea products to reach the large market, in recent years Vo Tranh commune has focused on supporting the development of cooperatives and cooperative groups.

The whole commune currently has 35 agricultural cooperatives, 60 tea cooperatives and 39 craft villages. These collective economic units focus on building brands, improving designs, and standardizing processing procedures to have product lines that ensure food safety.

At Dat Phat Clean Tea Cooperative, the unit's year-end production activities are very vibrant. Established in 2020, the Cooperative currently has 7 official members and 30 associated households. Main products include tea buds, hook tea, black tea, shrimp tea, old tea buds, lotus scented tea, etc.

In which, Dinh tea, Moc Cau tea, and Tom Non tea achieved 4-star OCOP and food safety certificates, ISO, and titles of typical rural agricultural products.

Mr. Vu Thanh Thom, Director of the Cooperative, said: We build raw material areas that meet VietGAP standards, cultivating in an organic direction. Associated households are trained in care techniques and quality assurance processes. Packaging and labels are invested in to meet market tastes. When products meet 4-star OCOP standards, domestic and foreign consumers trust them much more.

Thanks to production linkages, the economic value of tea has increased significantly, from 100,000 - 120,000 VND/kg of dry tea. Currently, many products are classified by quality, with high-end products priced up to millions of VND/kg.

Poverty reduction and rural quality improvement platform

Vo Tranh commune was established from the merger of 4 communes: Vo Tranh, Tuc Tranh, Co Lung and Phu Do. This land has a cool climate and soil suitable for tea trees. The whole commune has more than 2,600 hectares of tea, many areas are recognized as traditional craft villages.

Production facilities focus on applying science and technology in tea processing, improving the quality of tea products.

With the orientation of making tea a key crop, the local government has guided people to expand the area in the direction of quality and specialization. Of the approximately 2,500 hectares of tea being harvested, more than 800 hectares meet VietGAP; 34 hectares are certified organic; 68 hectares are granted growing area codes. This is an important condition for the locality to form a standard raw material area for processing and brand building.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ha, in Lien Hong 2 hamlet, said: With the guidance of the cooperative in organic farming, tea has fewer pests and diseases, higher selling prices, and the health of tea growers is also guaranteed. Increased income helps many households in the hamlet build new houses, buy cars, and invest in their children's education. The more we stick with tea, the more we realize this is a sustainable direction.

Up to now, Vo Tranh commune has 16 OCOP products, mainly from tea. Increasing the value of tea has significantly improved people's lives. In 2025, the commune will reduce 23 poor households and 48 near-poor households. The rate of poor households is 0.71%, near-poor households is 2.18%. Average income per capita reaches 60.6 million VND/year.

Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of the commune Bui Phuong Thao said: Implementing Resolution No. 11 of the Provincial Party Committee on developing the Thai Nguyen tea industry in the period 2025-2030, the locality continues to implement policies to improve product quality, focus on building brands and expanding consumption markets, aiming to turn tea trees into a true "rich tree".

From those orientations, the rural appearance in Vo Tranh is changing significantly. Up to now, the commune has completed 15/19 criteria for advanced new rural areas; 30/72 hamlets have met the standards of model new rural hamlets. Green tea hills interspersed with new, spacious houses create the image of a modern countryside but still retain the characteristics of the tea region.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202512/cay-che-chia-khoa-phat-trien-cua-vo-tranh-5997728/