Reviving the vitality of Dong Son tea.

The farm was dissolved, and the tea plants withered away.

Perhaps many people in Ninh Binh today, even the children of Tam Diep, especially the younger generation, are unaware that Dong Son commune was once a famous tea-producing region. In fact, due to its characteristic semi-mountainous terrain, with many gently sloping hills and mountains, and soil primarily composed of red clay, Dong Son is very suitable for tea cultivation. Tea plants were already present in this area as early as the 1960s and 70s.

In 1972, Tam Diep Tea Plantation was established. Mr. Nguyen Dang Dung, the then Director of the plantation, shared: Tam Diep Tea Plantation produced and traded in many different areas such as cattle farming and forestry, but tea production and processing was its main focus. During its heyday, the plantation's tea area reached over 100 hectares, producing and processing hundreds of tons of dried tea annually. The tea hills were always lush green, bustling with tea pickers, and the aroma of tea permeated everywhere you went.

Regarding tea quality, Mr. Dung affirmed: tea plants are very selective about soil; not everywhere can tea be grown, and not every tea is equally delicious. Tea plants have specific ecological requirements, and fortunately, the Dong Son area is blessed with these by nature. Therefore, the tea quality here is excellent. "However, in later stages, due to traditional thinking and production methods no longer being suitable for a market economy, along with many other reasons, the farm had to be dissolved in 2005," the former Director of Tam Diep Tea Farm lamented.

The region's main tea processing and consumption unit has ceased operations, leaving tea growers in dire straits as their products cannot be sold. Highly skilled workers have returned to small-scale production, trying to cling to the profession but unable to do so for long. Vast tea plantations from those days have been converted to growing corn, potatoes, cassava, and more recently, peach trees, while some areas have been abandoned. The reputation of Tam Diep tea is gradually fading.

And the passion of young people

Mr. Tong Duy Hien, Director of Tam Diep Flower, Ornamental Plant and Agricultural Products Cooperative, introduces the cooperative's new products.

As natives of Ninh Binh, deeply attached to their tea-growing homeland, passionate about tea culture, and immensely proud of the region's once glorious tea industry, Pham Thi Hong Quy and Tong Duy Hien were always concerned about how to revitalize the Dong Son tea region. Leveraging their university degrees in agriculture and their experience in supplying materials to the tea industry, having traveled to tea-growing regions across the country and possessing considerable in-depth knowledge of tea plants, in late 2018, the couple made a bold decision: to quit their jobs at companies and establish a tea production facility. After months of surveying and researching the actual state of tea plants in Dong Son, they began constructing a workshop and established the Tam Diep Flower, Ornamental Plant, and Agricultural Products Cooperative in Hamlet 1, Dong Son Commune.

Ms. Quy shared: "The tea in Tam Diep has excellent quality, a mild astringent taste, and a rich aftertaste. In particular, in Dong Son, there are still families who have preserved tea plantations decades old. If they invest in proper care and cultivation, they will be very valuable. However, the cooperative faces two major challenges when starting out. Firstly, how to convince people to return to tea cultivation and change their production mindset. Because for a long time, people have only followed habits, applying nitrogen fertilizer when the tea looks bad, spraying pesticides indiscriminately when there are pests and diseases, without keeping records or following any regulations. Meanwhile, consumer demands are increasingly stringent; if food safety and hygiene standards are not met, there will be no market share." Secondly, Tam Diep tea has long been subject to prejudice because, for a time, it was processed manually on a household scale, resulting in inconsistent quality and a lack of strict control. Consequently, consumers no longer have much trust in Tam Diep tea.

With no other option, Ms. Quy and her husband, along with their colleagues, persevered through propaganda and persuasion, transforming the people from outdated production methods to adopting a systematic and safe tea-making approach. For the market, thanks to rigorous management of the raw material area, a focus on investing in modern machinery and technology, continuous innovation in product design, and diversification of product types, the cooperative's tea products have gradually regained the affection and trust of many consumers. Currently, An Nguyen brand green tea products from the cooperative are available in many provinces and cities such as Hanoi, Thanh Hoa, and Nam Dinh. All products are sold as soon as they are produced. On average, the facility produces about 40 tons of dried tea per year, equivalent to consuming approximately 240 tons of fresh tea leaves for the farmers.

Joy has returned to the farmers.

Mrs. Le Thi Ngat (village 12, Dong Son commune) is overjoyed that the tea plants she has been cultivating for so many years have been revived, bringing a comfortable life to her family.

We visited several households that are linked to tea cultivation with the Tam Diep Flower, Ornamental Plant, and Agricultural Products Cooperative, and we truly witnessed the joy and excitement of the tea growers as their traditional crop, which they have been involved with for so many years, is now being revived, bringing them prosperity and well-being.

On a lush green tea hill spanning over 2 hectares, Ms. Le Thi Ngat (village 12, Dong Son commune) is busily harvesting the last tea buds of the year. Ms. Ngat said: "Our family's tea plantation has been around for decades. Previously, there were no dried tea processing facilities in the area, so we only harvested the branches once a year and sold them to traders for fresh tea, resulting in meager income. However, since the cooperative provided technical guidance on cultivation and guaranteed the purchase of all our produce, our family's economic situation has improved significantly. During the peak season, we harvest a batch of buds every 25-30 days, earning 15-20 million VND."

Sharing the same joy as Mrs. Ngat, Mr. Do Van Hue, also from Hamlet 12, excitedly welcomed us into his newly built, spacious house: "Luckily, since 2019, with the encouragement of the cooperative, my family has been able to have this property. Applying techniques, the tea plants have yielded a significantly different harvest. This year, on 1 hectare of tea, my family harvested 8 batches of buds and 1 batch of branches, with a peak yield of up to 2.5 tons. In total, I sold 17 tons of tea buds to the cooperative at 20,000 VND/kg, bringing in nearly 350 million VND, many times higher than before. If things continue like this, there's no reason why we shouldn't stay and expand our tea cultivation area."

Mr. Pham Dinh Cu, Chairman of the People's Committee of Dong Son commune, affirmed: "In reality, the land in the locality is very suitable for tea cultivation. Therefore, the commune encourages and supports cooperatives and people to maintain and expand the tea growing area, as well as develop more distinctive OCOP products of the locality from tea, combined with tourism and experiential activities."

Regarding future plans, Mr. Tong Duy Hien, Director of Tam Diep Flower, Ornamental Plant and Agricultural Products Cooperative, shared: "Last year, in addition to traditional tea products, the cooperative developed new products such as tea bags, premium lotus-infused tea, and osmanthus flower tea, which were enthusiastically received by consumers. Building on that momentum, we will continue to research and produce new product lines to suit different customer segments."

Alongside expanding the market, the cooperative aims to expand its raw material area, strengthen technical guidance, and introduce new tea varieties to help farmers increase tea productivity. At the same time, it strives to further raise the purchase price of raw materials so that people can feel secure and committed to tea cultivation.

Text, photos, and videos: Nguyen Luu

Source: https://baoninhbinh.org.vn/vuc-day-suc-song-cho-che-dong-son/d2023121623407658.htm