Sweet taste of green tea from the Land of Ancestors

For a long time, Phu Tho tea has been favored by many people because of its unique flavor, not confused with other tea regions such as Thai Nguyen, Son La, Yen Bai, Lam Dong... In 2020, the "Phu Tho Tea" certification mark was granted a certificate of protection, contributing to enhancing the reputation, economic value, and competitiveness of the province's tea products. The province has also built a branded tea production area, affirming the consistency of famous products that have been famous for many generations. Along with that, developing tea under the One Commune One Product (OCOP) Program opens up many new directions for key products and strengths of the locality.

Advantages to grow tea plants

The tea maker carefully transfers tea from the large teapot to the small clay teapot, then gently pours it into the guests' cups. Thin wisps of smoke rise from the smooth, green water surface, making the tea drinker feel as if he is sitting on a lake, immersed in a hazy mist. Holding the hot cup of tea, gently blowing on it and then taking a small sip, the astringent taste gradually fades, leaving a sweet aftertaste, spreading in the throat. "A cup of Phu Tho green tea, especially a cup of spring tea, brings an unforgettable sweet feeling", that is the introduction of Ms. Pham Thi Hanh - Director of Long Coc Tea Production Cooperative, Long Coc commune to tea-drinking tourists when visiting the Long Coc, Xuan Son tourist area...

Tea harvest in Minh Dai commune.

Spring tea can be said to be one of the specialty teas of Phu Tho . Spring tea, after the winter break, has accumulated many nutrients, the young green buds, the characteristic aroma of each type of tea, light but deep, sweet aftertaste, when drinking it creates a refreshing feeling, more delicious than the remaining teas of the year. Although only reaching 50% of the output compared to the main tea season, spring tea is favored by many customers and they wait to order very early.

Tea trees in Phu Tho have become one of the main crops for hunger eradication and poverty reduction. Currently, the whole province has about 14,500 hectares of tea being harvested. The area of ​​high-yield, high-quality tea accounts for over 95% of the total tea area in the province, in which hybrid tea varieties such as LDP1, LDP2, PH 1... serve the processing of black tea for export. Specialty tea varieties such as Kim Tuyen, Bat Van Tien, O Long... serve the processing of green tea. At the same time, it is also an area of ​​abundant and rich raw materials for the development of OCOP products.

The whole province currently has 593 OCOP products with 3 stars or more, of which nearly 100 are tea products. Notably, among nearly 100 tea products recognized as OCOP, there are more than 20 products with 4 stars, 1 product with 5 stars. With over 1,000 tea production and processing facilities, each year Phu Tho supplies the domestic and foreign markets with hundreds of thousands of tons of black tea and hundreds of tons of green tea, bringing significant revenue to tea growers and tea processing facilities.

To enhance the value and brand of Phu Tho tea, the province has implemented many solutions such as: Paying attention to planning, developing production areas, promoting brands; at the same time creating a legal corridor on intellectual property, especially developing the "Phu Tho Tea" certification mark. Thanks to that, the "Phu Tho Tea" brand has prestige in the domestic and international markets. In addition, Phu Tho also encourages localities, enterprises, and cooperatives to invest in technological innovation, link in production to proactively source raw materials and control product quality; build brands and trademarks of products protected by intellectual property; develop safe tea production and processing models according to VietGAP processes in suitable soil areas. In particular, tea production models under the Project "Improving the quality and safety of agricultural products" (QSEAP) have been deployed in key districts (previously), creating a foundation to attract investment in the production of high-quality, high-value commodity tea.

Raising the bar for "Phu Tho Tea"

Hoai Trung Tea Company Limited is a company that has been operating in the tea industry for decades, has a large market abroad and is the first company to have products achieving 5-star OCOP tea in the province. Ms. Bui Thi Mao - Director of the Company said: Tea is a popular drink, used daily in many countries and regions around the world such as: China, India, Middle East, Pakistan, North America, EU... These are also key tea export regions of Vietnam in general and Phu Tho in particular. Being recognized as an OCOP product is an advantage for businesses when passing strict standards on technical barriers according to international regulations.

According to Ms. Mao, to improve the quality of OCOP tea products, aiming to increase export output, the province needs to implement many solutions such as: Improving product quality according to safety standards, investing in eye-catching and environmentally friendly designs and packaging; applying modern production technology, promoting trade promotion on digital platforms and international trading floors; building concentrated raw material areas, and at the same time having support mechanisms and policies from the State to encourage the production and consumption of OCOP-rated tea products.

In fact, in recent times, the awareness of tea growers about safe production and quality improvement has been increasingly raised, the area of ​​tea meeting VietGAP, HACCP, QSEAP standards... applying ICP, ICPM, organic tea is increasing... Enterprises and cooperatives also pay more attention to stages such as design, packaging, proactively searching for markets, diversifying business forms. In particular, in some areas with suitable conditions, people have proactively built tea areas associated with community tourism development, both helping to promote products and increasing stable income.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hiep - Deputy Head of the Department of Rural Development said: Tea is one of the key crops in the sustainable poverty reduction program of Phu Tho province. Therefore, the province has had many policies and guidelines to encourage the development of high-quality tea and investment in brand building, promotion, and market expansion. The fact that investors build OCOP products for tea and continue to upgrade the product shows a change in people's production thinking, focusing on market needs and tastes. After merging the province, Phu Tho continues to encourage localities to promote and mobilize enterprises and cooperatives in the field of tea planting and processing to continue to complete the dossier to build OCOP products, extend certification, invest in upgrading products... to enhance the position and value of the products. Thereby, contributing to bringing stable and sustainable income to people in mountainous areas and building the "Phu Tho Tea" brand to become a strong brand in the market.

Military Forest

Source: https://baophutho.vn/ngot-ngao-vi-che-xanh-dat-to-240632.htm