Farmers contribute to realizing the goal of 'billion dollar tree'

Thai Nguyen tea is famous nationwide for its aroma and flavor, and is popularly known as “The First Famous Tea”. Over the years, generations of farmers in the province, generation after generation, have worked hard through the sun and rain to create “wings” for a strong brand for their tea products to “fly far” to domestic and foreign markets. This has contributed to realizing the goal of making Thai Nguyen tea a “billion-dollar tree”.

Farmers in Phu Luong district share experiences in safe tea production.

Talking about tea entering the US market, Thai Nguyen people are proud to have products that have passed a series of tests using the most modern equipment in the world . Accordingly, Thai Nguyen tea meets European standards MRLs. With this “certificate”, the product can enter all markets on every continent.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Nga, President of Thai Nguyen Tea Association: For many years, Thai Nguyen tea has been diversifying its products, processed deeply and refined, achieving high quality. In particular, many products have won high prizes at international tea competitions.

Going back in time, more than a hundred years ago, Mr. Vu Van Hiet, a native of Hung Yen province, went to Tan Cuong (Thai Nguyen) with farmers to reclaim hills and fields to grow tea. This tea has 1 bud and 2 leaves that bloom when exposed to boiling water, looking like a flock of cranes flying back to the land. In 1935, at the Dau Xao area ( Hanoi Trade Fair), the product "Canh Hac tea" of Mr. Vu Van Hiet and Thai Nguyen people was honored with the first prize.

This type of product remained popular until the early nineties of the last century. Then, in the market mechanism, people in the tea region were free to be creative, making many different products, such as young tea buds, young tea buds, tea buds... Since then, the tea product with 1 bud and 2 leaves has been like a flock of cranes spreading their wings and flying to the fairyland.

Because of its special aroma, deliciousness, nutrition, and disease prevention properties, tea trees have been a part of human life since ancient times. However, Thai Nguyen tea trees have truly been “transformed”, becoming a key economic crop, which was marked in September 2017. That is the fact that the Intellectual Property Office (Ministry of Science and Technology) granted a certificate of registration for the Geographical Indication “Tan Cuong”.

Currently, the whole province has over 22,000 hectares of tea, of which over 21,000 hectares are for harvest, with a stable yield of over 127 quintals/hectare, fresh tea bud output reaching 270,000 tons/year, equivalent to 54,000 tons of dry tea bud.

In the province, there are 193 tea products certified to meet OCOP standards from 3-5 stars, of which 2 products have achieved OCOP 5 stars. The value of tea products reaches 13.8 trillion VND/year.

Sharing with us, Dr. Nguyen Huu Tai, Chairman of the Vietnam Tea Association, said: In addition to the "Four Great Teas" of Thai Nguyen, which are the regions: Tan Cuong (Thai Nguyen City), La Bang (Dai Tu), Minh Lap (Dong Hy), Tuc Tranh (Phu Luong), tea in other regions in the province is also of high quality.

One of the pioneering tea-making units on the path to world economic integration in Thai Nguyen is Tan Huong Tea Cooperative, Phuc Xuan Commune (Thai Nguyen City). Since the end of 2011, the cooperative's tea products have been certified by Solidaridad and Unilever to meet the international standard UTZ Certified (traceable production).

UTZ Certified has made Tan Huong tea the first Vietnamese tea product to meet all conditions to integrate and circulate in the international market.

Product quality is the root of creating a strong brand. This is the driving force that urges tea farmers to pay attention to making high quality products.

The value of tea products in Thai Nguyen province currently reaches 13.8 trillion VND/year.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hien, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Ha Thai Tea Company, Ha Thuong Commune (Dai Tu), said: In 2016, the Company's young shrimp tea product was awarded the Silver Prize by the American and Canadian Tea Association. The Company is planning to invest deeply in scented tea products, black tea, oolong tea, matcha and some new products such as: tea essential oil, tea extract, shower gel, tea-based cleaning solution.

Regarding the international award-winning tea product, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ly, Director of Tan Cuong Hoang Binh Tea Joint Stock Company (Thai Nguyen City), said: In 2017, the Department of Industry and Trade encouraged me to participate in the North American International Specialty Tea Competition. At that time, I was so busy that I just "randomly" sent the "Dinh Vuong Pham" tea product to the competition and didn't pay much attention to it. However, a few days later, I received good news: The Company's tea product was awarded a Special Prize.

The story of Ms. Nguyen Thi Ly reminds me of the people who directly create the brand and enhance the value of tea trees, all of whom belong to women. The proof is that 4 women in the tea region were honored by the Vietnam Farmers' Association as outstanding farmers nationwide: Ms. Dao Thanh Hao, Director of Hao Dat Tea Cooperative, Tan Cuong Commune (Thai Nguyen City), has elevated Tan Cuong tea products to become a precious gift for many people around the world. Ms. Tran Thi Tuyet, Director of Tuyet Huong Cooperative, Hoa Trung Commune (Dong Hy), is proud to have products selected by the Organizing Committee of the APEC Vietnam Conference in Da Nang in 2017 as gifts for heads of state, representatives from 21 member economies. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai, Director of La Bang Tea Cooperative (Dai Tu), implements a friendly production process, and has products that customers order at 60 million VND/kg. Ms. Vu Thi Thanh Hao, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Thinh An Tea Cooperative, Song Cau town (Dong Hy), is proud of 6 product lines achieving OCOP from 3 to 4 stars.

Each person has a different way of doing things, but they all aim to build a strong brand for Thai Nguyen tea trees. To thereby increase the economic value of tea trees. They are the advanced farmers of the "Tea and Steel Land" who are daily realizing that tea trees will become the province's billion-dollar tree.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202506/nong-dan-gop-suc-hien-thuc-hoa-muc-tieu-cay-ty-do-02420ee/