Africa-Press – Gambia. Southwest China is a hotbed for tea production. Farmers are in the midst of one of their busiest seasons: tea-picking. Their produce will not only be sold here in China but across the world. CGTN’s Zheng Songwu explains how a thriving tea industry is so important to many local economies in the region.
It’s tea-picking season in Jiajiang County of southwest China’s Sichuan Province. It’s a routine Ma Yuefen is very familiar with.
With a basket hanging from her waist, she spends much of her day in the fields harvesting the best leaves.
The specialty here is green tea and there’s a huge demand for it overseas.
ZHENG SONGWU Jiajiang, Sichuan Province “There are 20,000 hectares of tea trees in Jiajiang County. 46,000 tons of tea were produced in 2021, and 35,000 tons were green tea. They were mainly exported to North Africa and Central Asia, with sales of about 100 million U.S. dollars.”
The tea-picking season runs from April to October. The bigger companies have special machines for harvesting it.
Their produce will be sent to “Belt and Road” countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russia, and Morocco.
Farmers say they have special provisions to ensure only the best tea is exported.
FANG YIKAI Chairman, Tea Company in Jiajiang “We keep a close eye on the soil and irrigation system, and we have strict rules for using pesticides. We won’t use it unless we think there’s going to be a lot of harm. On this occasion, we have chosen a pesticide that decomposes easily.”
If rigorous efforts to maintain high quality weren’t challenging enough, COVID-19 brought even more problems, especially in terms of logistics.
FANG YIKAI Chairman, Tea Company in Jiajiang “COVID-19 had a huge impact on us, especially last year. The price of both sea transportation and land transportation was much more expensive than it was in the past. The price of land transportation has been lower while the sea transportation is still expensive this year. But I can see the situation is getting better.”
There are more than 260 tea companies in Jiajiang. The local government says it’s trying to help them whatever way it can, be that in terms of organizational support or financial.
ZOU CHENGJUN Director, Jiajiang Agriculture & Rural Affairs Bureau “We have helped our tea farmers build their own tea-growing bases, and we have set some policies that can benefit them. We have also offered some financial aid, such as farmer-oriented loans.”
A thriving tea industry is pivotal to the prospects of the local population here. Every year, the farmers say they try to build their capacity further. Zheng Songwu, CGTN, Sichuan Province.
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