Concerns about the Cà Đam tea plant

(Baoquangngai.vn) - Located at the foot of Ca Dam mountain, Que village, Tra Bui commune (Tra Bong district) possesses many areas of ancient tea trees and is considered to have great potential to promote economic development and poverty reduction for the people. However, for many years, the value of this "green gold" plant has not been properly realized.

After traveling over 70km from the center of Quang Ngai City, we arrived at Que village, Tra Bui commune in early April. Upon arriving, we were impressed not only by the cool climate but also by the lush green beauty of the ancient tea gardens. Located at an altitude of over 1,400m above sea level, the clean and cool climate year-round allows the tea plants here to thrive.

Que village, Tra Bui commune (Tra Bong district) is located at the foot of Ca Dam mountain.

Meeting visitors from the lowlands, Mr. Ho Van Tung warmly invited us into his home. Nestled at the foot of Ca Dam mountain in his stilt house, Mr. Tung poured us a cup of hot tea, brewed from tea leaves harvested from his own garden. Nourished by mountain mist over many years, the tea here possesses a unique natural aroma unlike any other. As we tasted it, the fragrant, slightly bitter, and subtly sweet aftertaste seemed to permeate every cell, making our fatigue disappear.

“Along with cinnamon, tea is a traditional crop of the Cor people at the foot of Ca Dam mountain. Our village has about 80 households, and most families have tea gardens. Some have a few hundred plants, while others have more than a thousand. Therefore, whenever guests come to visit, the villagers often go to the garden to pick tea leaves to brew tea for them, as a long-standing cultural tradition,” Mr. Tung proudly shared about his hometown's product.

Tea plants have been closely associated with many generations of the Cor people in Que village.

Tea plants have been closely associated with the Cor people for generations, so even now, Mr. Tung and the elders in the village don't know exactly when tea first took root in this land. Some believe tea has been here for at least 100 years, or since the time of their ancestors. These ancient tea trees are a source of pride, a memento, and an asset passed down from grandparents to descendants.

We followed Mr. Tung up the steep road to visit the tea plantations at the foot of Ca Dam mountain. Pointing to the tea plantations located halfway up the mountain, Mr. Tung explained that they had been planted and passed down through many generations, so many of the tea trees here are very large. Some trees have trunk diameters of up to 60-80cm and are 3-4m tall.

Many of the ancient tea trees are tall and large, so Mr. Ho Van Tung has to use a ladder to climb up and pick the leaves.

Looking at the lush green tea plants, we curiously asked, "Why don't the villagers harvest the leaves to sell?" "Previously, traders from the lowlands would come up to buy each bundle of tea for 10-15 thousand dong, so the villagers could earn some income from harvesting and selling. Now that the traders don't come up anymore, the villagers only harvest a small amount to make tea for drinking and bathing their children," Tùng explained.

Currently, when harvesting tea here, households have to find their own markets and are almost entirely dependent on traders. According to Mr. Tung, for the past few years, no traders have come to buy the tea, causing a deadlock in the market for the tea crop.

These ancient tea trees are a valuable asset passed down from grandparents to their descendants.

The difficulty in finding markets for tea has left many villagers in Que hamlet hesitant and unsure whether to keep their tea gardens or cut them down. Currently, many households have removed decades-old tea plantations to switch to growing cinnamon and other crops that yield higher economic returns. Some families have even cut down ancient tea trees for firewood… This has led to the dwindling of tea plantations at the foot of Ca Dam mountain.

"We sincerely hope that the local authorities will implement effective solutions to sustainably develop Ca Dam tea products, so that people can continue to be involved with tea cultivation," Mr. Tung expressed.

Some locals cut down the tea plants to grow other crops.

According to Ha Viet Bong, Chairman of the People's Committee of Tra Bui Commune, the tea growing area in Que village is currently about 11 hectares. Finding markets for tea has been a major concern for the local government. Ca Dam tea boasts superior quality compared to other varieties. If sustainably cultivated, tea cultivation could be a key to poverty reduction for the local people. Currently, to preserve and maintain the existing tea growing area, the local authorities are actively promoting and encouraging residents not to cut down tea plants to cultivate other crops.

Leaving Que village at dusk, along the road home, wisps of mist drifted gently, like a miniature Da Lat nestled in the heart of the mountains. Que village would be more beautiful and developed if it knew how to exploit its tourism potential and the value of its tea plants. But in the current situation, those tea plants still seem unable to help the people here escape poverty, even though they bravely thrive at the foot of Ca Dam mountain, carrying within them the hope for a better life for the Cor people here.

Text and photos: LINH DAN

Source: https://baoquangngai.vn/kinh-te/nong-nghiep/202504/tran-tro-cay-che-ca-dam-7314b78/