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Ancient tea hill of To Mua people. |
To enter To Mua commune, we have to overcome steep slopes, especially the 3-level slope with sharp, dangerous bends. But when we reach the commune center, we can see the valley surrounded by lush green tea hills, creating the beauty of a peaceful countryside.
While taking me to visit the ancient tea hill, Ms. Luong Thi Hoa, President of the Farmers' Association of To Mua Commune, said that according to the elders in the commune, tea trees were planted in To Mua hundreds of years ago. To Mua still has 100 ancient Shan Tuyet tea trees, estimated to be over 100 years old and honored as heritage trees of Vietnam.
Ms. Hoa said that the ancient tea forest is like a soul, allowing the people here to develop the tea area. According to Ms. Hoa, the tea growers in To Mua have also experienced many ups and downs, but they have overcome all to develop the tea growing profession.
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Tea trees are helping people have a prosperous life. |
In the 60s and 70s of the last century, To Mua tea became an export commodity, the whole commune's area reached 146 hectares, creating jobs and high income for the people. However, in the early 1990s, the tea produced could not be sold, so people destroyed it to plant other crops. It was not until 2015 that the tea trees were restored and developed when a business contracted to purchase fresh tea buds for the people in the commune.
Making a pot of fragrant Shan Tuyet tea for me, Ms. Hoa said that the commune currently has 600 hectares of Shan Tuyet tea, with nearly 1,000 households growing, producing and trading tea. To support tea growers, every year, the Commune People's Committee invites agricultural engineers to organize classes to transfer techniques of fertilizing, weeding and caring for tea plants according to VietGAP standards to the people.
In particular, to get the best quality fresh tea buds, the commune encourages farmers to pick tea by hand. Thanks to the application of technical measures in production, the average tea yield reaches 9 tons/ha/year, with output reaching over 3,700 tons/year.
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"Shan Tuyet tea trees have helped To Mua people escape poverty and become rich on their homeland. Currently, the poverty rate of the commune has decreased to 0.9%," said Ms. Hoa.
We visited Mr. Luong Van Minh (57 years old, Lac Muong village, To Mua commune) when he was taking care of 2 hectares of Shan Tuyet tea. Mr. Minh said that each year his family harvested nearly 25 tons of tea from 2 hectares of tea, earning nearly 200 million VND.
“Previously, my family grew corn and cassava, which was not enough to eat, and we lived in poverty. In 2016, when the tea buds had an outlet, I restored and expanded the tea area, making my family’s life better day by day, with food and savings,” Mr. Minh shared.
Not only the elderly like Mr. Minh are successful in growing tea, but the younger generations have also taken advantage of their hometown's advantages, developed tea growing to improve their families' lives, and gradually helped their families become rich.
Ha Van Nhuan (33 years old, Men village, To Mua commune) was born and raised in a poor family, but thanks to his hard work and dedication in developing the family's tea area, Nhuan and his wife now have a stable life and escape poverty.
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Moss on ancient tea trees. |
“In 2021, I got married and my parents let me live on my own. When I moved out, my parents gave me 5,000 square meters of tea garden as capital. At first, my husband and I worked hard to take good care of the existing tea garden; at the same time, we borrowed money to expand the tea growing area to nearly 1 hectare. Tea prices are getting higher and higher, and the output is stable, so my life is gradually getting better. Now, my husband and I have accumulated capital to continue expanding the tea growing area,” Nhuan shared.
Ha Van Nhuan said that his goal is to grow organic tea, producing high-quality, high-value products for sale on the market. “If I want the tea growing industry to develop sustainably, I am aiming to produce organic tea, eliminating all chemicals in the tea care process. Producing organic tea will increase the value of tea, bringing in 2 to 3 times more income than the current one,” Nhuan added.
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To Mua's Shan Tuyet tea is famous for its delicious taste. |
Ms. Luong Thi Hoa said that tea is currently the main crop of the commune. Tea has helped To Mua people escape poverty. To help people get rich, the commune has developed a plan and trained people to grow organic tea, producing high-quality teas such as black tea, white tea... from ancient tea trees. Producing clean teas has a value 3 times higher than current tea. Producing organic tea will help To Mua people get rich, creating jobs for people.
Source: https://tienphong.vn/cach-dan-ban-vung-cao-thoat-ngheo-voi-cay-che-shan-tuyet-post1752061.tpo
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