On the morning of November 5, in Phu Tho, the Forum "Connecting production and consumption of high-quality tea" took place, aiming to convert 70% of the area to new tea varieties by 2025.

Delegates discussed at the Forum connecting production and consumption of high quality tea.

According to the Department of Crop Production, the tea area nationwide in 2023 will reach more than 122,000 hectares, a decrease of about 12,000 hectares compared to 2015, with an average decrease of 0.32% per year. The reason is that Lam Dong and some northern mountainous provinces have converted old tea areas, old varieties, low productivity and quality to other crops, especially converting to fruit trees in the northern mountainous provinces.

In contrast to the area, tea yield increased from nearly 86 quintals/ha to more than 100 quintals/ha, this was achieved due to changes in variety structure and cultivation techniques.

Although the area has decreased, due to increased productivity, tea output in 2022 will reach more than 1.1 million tons, an increase of 125,000 tons compared to 2015.

Vietnamese tea products.

In 2023, Vietnam's tea exports will reach more than 120,000 tons, worth more than 210 million USD, down 17% in volume and 11% in value compared to 2022. The average tea export price in 2023 is estimated at 1,737 USD/ton, up 7.3% compared to 2022.

In the first 6 months of this year, tea exports reached 62,000 tons, worth 106 million USD, up 28.3% in volume and 30% in value over the same period in 2023. The average export price of tea reached 1,710.0 USD/ton, up 1.3% over the same period in 2023.

Speaking at the forum, Mr. Hoang Vinh Long - Chairman of the Vietnam Tea Association - said: "Vietnam is the 5th largest tea producer and exporter in the world. Our tea industry has over 1.5 million people directly involved in growing and producing tea and about 2.5 million people indirectly involved in the production, processing and consumption of tea."

Mr. Hoang Vinh Long - Chairman of Vietnam Tea Association - spoke at the forum.

It is worth mentioning that the average export price of tea from our country is only about 65% of the world average and only 55% of the average price of tea exported from India and Sri Lanka. The reason is that most of Vietnam's exported tea is raw, not deeply processed, simply packaged, lacking clear labels and brands.

Currently, Vietnamese tea products have been exported to many countries and territories, of which Pakistan, Taiwan (China), Russia, China, the United States and the EU are key markets, accounting for about 70% in volume and more than 70% in export value.

However, the world tea market is still demanding, requiring safety and quality of products. Therefore, enterprises, organizations and individuals producing tea must be responsible for the safety of the food they produce and trade in accordance with the standards issued by competent State agencies.

Currently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has licensed over 260 commercial pesticides for use in Vietnam to prevent pests and diseases on tea plants. Regarding the output products, the Ministry of Health issued Circular No. 50/2016/TT-BYT dated December 30, 2016, stipulating the maximum residue limits of pesticides in tea products. Heavy metal residues in tea are also regulated in detail.

Thu Huong