Organic and VietGAP tea acreage is expanding rapidly

For many years Thai Nguyen has always taken the lead in Vietnam in terms of tea acreage as well as economic revenue from tea cultivation. The province currently has about 22,400 ha of tea being harvested, having an average revenue of VND 274 million VND for 1 ha of fresh bud tea.

Organic tea sample plots were built by Thai Nguyen in tea production areas, making it easy for farmers to access, visit and study. Photo: Viet Bac

In regard to specialty tea areas such as Khe Coc, Trai Cai, Tan Cuong, La Bang…, many tea growers have ceased to sell fresh bud tea, mainly switched to process it themselves into traditional dried tea products, achieving average revenue from VND 600 to 700 million/ha/year.

Tea has been identified as a key crop in the household economy, so Thai Nguyen always aims to maintain the collective brand of Tra Thai, support farmers with seedlings and caring techniques in order to gradually transform towards safe, organic, and high quality tea production.

According to the current price on markets, 1 kg of premium tea in Thai Nguyen sells for about VND 5 million, nearly equivalent to 800 kg of plain rice. It is from high profits that many tea growers and large enterprises in Thai Nguyen have the same tendency to invest in tea gardens and seek the strengths of each tea variety, especially indigenous midland tea, to increase the overall economic value of tea.