Thai tea makes a breakthrough thanks to the application of science and technology

Thai Nguyen has long been known as the cradle of the Vietnamese tea industry, with tea products bearing famous brands at home and abroad. In the context of deep integration and the strong impact of the 4.0 industrial revolution, the Thai Nguyen tea industry is facing the need to innovate production methods, improve product quality, and expand the market.

Digitalizing growing areas and value chain management

One of the key solutions is to apply science and technology (S&T) and digital transformation to the entire tea value chain – from production, processing to consumption. This is an inevitable trend and a strategic solution to increase value and sustainable development.

According to statistics, Thai Nguyen currently has about 22,200 hectares of tea, with fresh tea bud output reaching over 273,000 tons/year, contributing about 13,800 billion VND to the local economy . Many tea products of the province have achieved 4-star and 5-star OCOP certification, affirming their quality and position in the domestic and international markets. Tea is not only a key agricultural product but also a cultural and tourist symbol of the province.

To meet integration requirements, Thai Nguyen has promoted the digitization of tea growing area data. To date, the province has managed 95 growing area codes with 538 hectares, of which 62 are for tea plants. This digitization helps to make the production process transparent, limit the abuse of chemicals, and support quick traceability via QR codes - an important factor in meeting export standards.

In addition, Thai Nguyen is also deploying the VNPT-Green digital platform, allowing farmers and cooperatives to update electronic diaries, recording the entire care, fertilization, and spraying process. The application integrates IoT, AI, and GIS technology to monitor pests, forecast productivity, and support tea growers in adjusting care methods in a timely manner. In particular, the system sends early warnings about weather and pests via phone, helping farmers minimize risks, increase productivity by 10-15%, and reduce production costs by 5-7%.

Thai Nguyen has applied science, technology and digital transformation in the process of tea production, processing and consumption.

Expanding e-commerce and traceability

Modern technology is strongly applied in the processing stage: automatic tea roasting machine, advanced rolling machine, clean energy drying system... The new lines help preserve the characteristic flavor of Thai Nguyen tea, improve quality and ensure food safety, especially meeting international standards.

Thai Nguyen tea industry has initially connected products with e-commerce platforms such as TikTok Shop, Shopee, etc. Many 4-star and 5-star OCOP products are consumed online, expanding domestic and foreign markets.

At the same time, QR code technology is applied on packaging, helping consumers easily trace the origin of products, increasing trust and transparency in the market. At the same time, the province is researching the application of blockchain technology to secure data and increase transparency in traceability, especially in high-end markets.

Thanks to the promotion of science and technology application and digital transformation, Thai Nguyen tea industry has achieved many positive results: 96% of cooperatives and tea enterprises have digitized data and updated it into the centralized management system; completed the issuance of growing area codes for hundreds of hectares of tea, meeting export requirements; formed a big data system to serve tea industry management, integrated artificial intelligence to analyze and forecast production; increased product value by 15-20% thanks to process transparency and expanded digital distribution channels.

To continue promoting its advantages, Thai Nguyen sets specific goals by 2030, such as expanding the tea area of the whole province to 24,500 hectares, with an output of 300,000 tons of fresh buds/year; 70% of the tea area is certified as GAP, organic and has a growing area code; 100% of tea processing facilities ensure food safety standards; at least 250 3-5 star OCOP products; completing the digitalization of 100% of tea growing areas and production chains in the whole province; training digital skills for farmers and cooperatives, building human resources for high-tech agriculture; promoting research on new tea varieties, organic farming, deep processing, increasing export value;...

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/che-thai-but-pha-nho-ung-dung-khoa-hoc-cong-nghe-20250726132316436.htm