Tea production associated with environmental protection

With an area of over 600 hectares of tea, people in 11 traditional tea villages in Phuc Thuan commune (Pho Yen city) have proactively applied safe production processes, creating a green - clean - beautiful tea landscape.

Pho Yen City currently has more than 1,500 hectares of tea, concentrated in the western communes: Phuc Thuan, Thanh Cong, Minh Duc, Phuc Tan... According to Mr. Nguyen Van Doan, Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee: Pho Yen determines that environmental protection in the process of growing and processing tea is not only a choice but also a mandatory requirement for modern agriculture . Therefore, the city is interested in promoting propaganda and mobilization work; at the same time, there are appropriate support mechanisms and policies to encourage and create conditions for people to develop tea production associated with environmental protection.

In the period of 2021-2024 alone, Pho Yen City has organized over 250 training sessions, instructing people in tea villages on safe farming techniques, establishing models linking production - processing - consumption of tea according to the value chain; supporting new tea planting with an area of nearly 140 hectares, with a budget of over 1.6 billion VND; supporting water-saving irrigation points on tea trees with an area of 350 hectares, with a budget of over 5.2 billion VND; supporting VietGAP certification with an area of 250 hectares, with a budget of 1.5 billion VND...

On this basis, people have gradually changed the way of cultivating and processing tea in an environmentally friendly direction. In particular, the cultivation and processing of tea according to VietGAP standards and organic direction are focused. Instead of abusing chemical fertilizers and pesticides, people have used biological products, composted organic fertilizers, and implemented sustainable farming measures such as crop rotation, planting cover crops to prevent erosion and retain moisture.

In addition, recording and monitoring the production process scientifically helps trace the origin of products, creates trust for consumers and encourages farmers to be more responsible for their own living environment.

Ms. Pham Thi Thom (in the traditional tea craft village of Xom Lay 5, Minh Duc commune, Pho Yen city) uses some ingredients such as garlic, chili, rice bran, white wine... to create organic and biological herbal fertilizer for tea.

Ms. Pham Thi Thom, a resident of the traditional tea village in Lay 5 hamlet, Minh Duc commune, shared: In 2022, I used ingredients such as garlic, chili, rice bran, white wine... to create organic microbial fertilizers and biological pesticides to take care of 7 hectares of tea. With this method, I saw that the tea plants grew stably, the average yield increased by about 10-20% compared to traditional farming; the tea farm ecosystem gradually changed positively, the production environment and living environment were significantly improved.

Not only applying the production process according to VietGAP standards, organic orientation, up to now, people in Pho Yen tea villages have also paid attention to investing in installing water-saving irrigation systems with an area of nearly 400 hectares, helping to reduce water loss, protect underground and surface water sources.

In the processing stage, many facilities are gradually improving technology, using solar energy to dry tea, replacing traditional fuel sources that cause a lot of emissions.

Wastewater treatment systems are also invested in to ensure that treated water meets standards before being discharged into the natural environment.

Pho Yen City currently has nearly 400 hectares of tea with water-saving irrigation systems installed, helping to reduce water waste and protect groundwater and surface water sources.

According to the assessment of the professional agency of Pho Yen city, the highlight of the tea villages today is that farmers have actively created a green, clean, and beautiful tea landscape by planting trees along the paths between the tea hills, both creating shade and preserving the soil, preventing erosion; building more than 300 collection and treatment points for fertilizer and pesticide packaging on the tea hills, ensuring the ecological environment...

Thanks to that, environmental protection awareness in the community is raised, contributing to reducing water and soil pollution, ensuring cleaner and safer tea products.

For example, at the traditional tea village in hamlet 7, Phuc Thuan commune, households have proactively designed paths between tea hills, erected signposts, and built beautiful check-in spots, aiming to develop community tourism .

In particular, the paths leading to the tea areas were paved with concrete by the locals, with drainage ditches and flowers planted on both sides, creating an eye-catching landscape. People living in a green, clean, and beautiful environment have become more attached to nature, increasing their awareness of land protection.

With specific and practical solutions, Pho Yen tea area not only becomes greener and cleaner, but also contributes to increasing economic value and meeting market demand.

In 2024, the output of fresh tea buds in the city will reach over 20,100 tons (an increase of about 100 tons compared to 2023); total revenue in tea villages will reach over 60 billion VND (an increase of 5 billion VND compared to 2023); 300 hectares of tea will be certified by VietGAP; 12 OCOP certified tea products will achieve 3 stars and 4 stars...

In order to improve the quality of tea products, contribute to building a safe and sustainable agricultural sector, in the coming time, Pho Yen City will continue to strengthen the organization of training courses, instructing tea growers on safe farming techniques and environmental protection awareness; collect and treat agricultural waste, especially pesticide packaging, so that it does not accumulate on tea fields; maintain planting trees along tea hills to prevent soil erosion and create a green ecological landscape...

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202505/san-xuat-che-gan-voi-bao-ve-moi-truong-3ac107f/