Escape poverty in difficult land

TPO - Once a barren, infertile hilly area, the people of Tho Binh (Thanh Hoa) have transformed this impoverished land into vast green tea plantations, building a brand for their specialty product and creating sustainable livelihoods.

These days, on the rolling hills of Tho Binh commune ( Thanh Hoa province), people are busy harvesting lush green tea buds to prepare for processing. Few would imagine that this area was once a land with little rainfall, barren hills, infertile soil, and harsh conditions that prevented many crops from surviving for long.

The vast tea hills of Tho Binh.

Thirty years ago, the people of Binh Son (now Tho Binh commune) began planting tea under Project 327 – a program to reforest barren hills and empty land. At that time, the old tea varieties yielded low productivity and had unstable markets, forcing many households to cut them down. However, some persevered, preserving and caring for each tea plant with the belief that "this land will have its own tea brand."

Over time, that belief became a reality. Endless stretches of lush green tea hills, with tender young buds covering the land, opened up a new path to livelihood. Tea plants not only brought back greenery to the barren land but also sowed hope, helping people escape poverty sustainably and become wealthy right in their homeland.

Mr. Le Dinh Tu, Director of Binh Son Agricultural and Forestry Service Cooperative, said that the cooperative currently has nearly 80 hectares of tea plantations, of which 12 hectares meet VietGAP standards, with 20 members and more than 100 affiliated households. The main products include dried green tea, tea bags, and forest flower honey. In 2019, Binh Son dried tea was recognized as a 3-star OCOP product, creating an important stepping stone for the brand to spread in the market.

The tea leaves are harvested and dried by farmers, improving the product's quality.

“The cooperative has invested in factories, storage facilities, raw material collection areas, and automated processing lines to ensure consistent quality and increase productivity. At the same time, we are encouraging people to expand their cultivated area and register trademarks to elevate the Bình Sơn tea brand,” Mr. Tú said.

Besides developing tea cultivation, cooperative members also utilize the area under the forest canopy to raise bees for honey, creating an additional source of income. Thanks to product diversification, Binh Son Cooperative now has 4 provincial-level OCOP products, including tea and honey, both achieving 3 stars, demonstrating the dynamic economic thinking of farmers in the era of integration.

Tea products have become more diverse.

A unique feature of the Tho Binh tea region is the "each household is a processing factory" model. Instead of relying on large enterprises, many families have invested in their own roasting, drying, packaging, and vacuum sealing machines to proactively produce and improve quality.

As one of the few households in Binh Son that has maintained its tea garden for many years, Mr. Le Van Thanh (Dong Tranh village) said that Binh Son tea is delicious and of good quality. With more than 1.5 hectares of tea, his family harvests more than 10 tons of fresh tea each year, equivalent to over 2 tons of dried tea. He invested in roasting machines, vacuum packaging machines, etc., which helps increase the value of the product, bringing in an income of about 400 million VND per year.

“Tea cultivation has helped the people here escape poverty. It's no longer just about growing tea; we have to create our own products and brands. Therefore, producing clean tea is more laborious, but in return, it has higher value and is easier to sell. Now, many households in the commune are also learning to do the same, so the tea growing area is developing strongly,” Mr. Thanh shared.

Tea products help people earn higher incomes and reach larger markets.

According to the leaders of Tho Binh commune People's Committee, the entire commune has about 400 households growing tea. Of these, 100 households produce tea buds, while the rest produce tea leaves. Despite the small scale of production, the households cooperate closely, sharing experiences and finding markets for their products. Many households design their own logos, packaging, and labels, creating a diverse brand for Binh Son tea.

"The commune is orienting its development towards experiential tourism associated with the tea-growing region, such as visiting tea hills, picking tea, processing tea, and enjoying tea on-site. This is a new direction that helps enhance the value of the product, create jobs, and attract tourists to the Thanh Hoa tea-growing region," the commune leader said.

The local authorities are focusing on developing tea cultivation in conjunction with experiential tourism.

After many ups and downs, the Binh Son tea brand has established a firm position in the market. Tea plants have become the "golden crop" of Tho Binh region, helping hundreds of households increase their income and move towards sustainable wealth creation.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/thoat-ngheo-บน-vung-dat-kho-post1803016.tpo