Hung Khanh develops organic tea products

With more than 40 years of experience with tea plants, Mr. Nguyen Van Vinh in Khe Nam village understands that this is the best tea crop of the year, promising to bring in high income and contribute to promoting the local tea brand.

Mr. Nguyen Van Vinh (left) went to the field early to harvest tea.

Mr. Vinh shared: “Through many seasons, I still find that the autumn tea is the best, because the tea buds grow evenly and have few pests. The tea products often give clear green water and a sweet aftertaste. Thanks to the stable quality, our tea is sought after by traders, the price is also better, and people are very excited. Therefore, the life of tea growers here is gradually stable, enough to eat, enough to spend, and enough to take care of their children's education."

With more than 7,000 square meters of various types of tea, each year Mr. Vinh's family harvests 4 - 5 quintals of fresh tea buds, and after processing, about 2 - 3 quintals of dry tea, bringing in a significant income for the family.

Autumn tea in Hung Khanh is considered by locals to be of the best quality of the year.

Tea growing has been associated with Hung Khanh people since the 1970s. Since 2006, the commune has promoted propaganda and mobilized people to apply scientific and technical advances, and to plant Bat Tien tea varieties to replace ineffective areas. Thanks to that, up to now, the whole commune has more than 190 hectares of tea, of which 90 hectares of Bat Tien tea are grown according to VietGAP standards, creating a solid foundation for building a brand and increasing product value.

Mr. Tran Van Thanh - Deputy Director of Khe Nam Tea Cooperative packages Bat Tien Hung Khanh tea products.

Promoting the strengths of raw material areas and tea growing experience of the people, in 2020, Khe Nam Tea Cooperative was established with 7 official members and associated with 80 tea growing households in the area. The Cooperative currently has more than 100 hectares of tea, of which 65 hectares were newly planted from 2023 according to Resolution 69 of the old Yen Bai province, which has now begun to harvest and over 20 hectares are in the main harvest.

Each year, the cooperative purchases about 30 tons of fresh tea, processes and sells 5-6 tons of dry tea. This year's harvest season alone, the purchase price of fresh tea reached 24,000 VND/kg. After processing, the dry tea products are sold on the market at prices ranging from 250,000 to 700,000 VND/kg, bringing an average income of about 6 million VND/month to each cooperative member.

Mr. Tran Van Thanh - Deputy Director of Khe Nam Tea Cooperative said: When the cooperative was established, we received the attention and support of the Party, the State and the local government. From the organization, management to building product brands, we were guided and supported wholeheartedly.

Currently, Hung Khanh tea area has formed a production area that meets VietGAP standards, aiming for organic production. The Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology is coordinating to deploy an organic tea model with an area of 9 hectares, aiming to convert the entire raw material area to safe production in the whole commune. This will be the driving force for Khe Nam Tea Cooperative to continue to develop.

Mr. Tran Van Thanh - Deputy Director of Khe Nam Tea Cooperative introduced the newly invested tea roasting and rolling machine system.

Aiming to further expand the raw material area, Mr. Thanh added: "We will continue to encourage people to convert old midland tea varieties to Bat Tien tea through support programs for seeds and fertilizers; training courses on cultivation and harvesting techniques according to the correct standards for tea growers."

Along with that, the cooperative has boldly invested in modern roasting and rolling machines that can adjust speed and temperature; built a system of anti-humidity and vacuum houses to ensure a closed processing process, improving product quality and design. Thanks to that, the cooperative can produce more than 200 kg of finished dry tea every day. In particular, Hung Khanh tea products have been built with their own brand, registered for traceability, and granted 4-star OCOP certification at the provincial level for Hung Khanh specialty Bat Tien tea products and 3-star OCOP for Hung Khanh green tea products.

Khe Nam Tea Cooperative currently has 1 Hung Khanh specialty Bat Tien tea product certified with 4-star OCOP and Hung Khanh green tea product with 3-star OCOP.

According to Mr. Nguyen Tuan Anh - Chairman of Hung Khanh Commune People's Committee, Bat Tien tea is currently one of the three main crops of the commune. Although the area is not large, it is expected to reach 100 hectares of business by 2026, but the economic value is very high.

“In the coming time, the commune will continue to maintain and upgrade the 3-star and 4-star OCOP products of Bat Tien tea, developing in an organic and sustainable direction. At the same time, mobilize the entire political system to participate in promoting and finding stable output for the products; expand raw material areas, link with businesses to promote processing technology, solve employment and increase income for people” - Mr. Tuan Anh said.

With the efforts of the government, cooperatives and tea growers, Hung Khanh tea is gradually affirming its position in the market, becoming a typical product, imbued with the flavor of the Northwest mountains and forests.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/hung-khanh-phat-trien-san-pham-che-huu-co-post886685.html