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Thousand-year-old ancient Shan Tuyet tea forest. |
Arriving at the border commune of Mo Si San, we heard an interesting story about the ancient Shan Tuyet tea forest on the border. The tea forest with 2,000 trees, nearly a thousand years old, is located on the top of a mountain at an altitude of more than 2,000m above sea level.
For the Red Dao people here, tea trees are not only a traditional crop but also a sacred part of their spiritual life. In particular, ancient tea trees help the Dao people here "change their skin and flesh". Therefore, the Shan Tuyet tea trees in Mo Si San commune are still preserved as treasures of the mountains and forests.
Mr. Tan Chin Lung, Chairman of the People's Committee of Mo Si San Commune, said that in the past, the tea forest was exploited in an exhaustive manner, some people even cut it down. In 2015, he and the Border Guard officers led the leaders of Lai Chau province to survey the tea forest. After the survey, the provincial leaders requested that this ancient tea forest be preserved by all means.
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The tea trees are covered with moss. |
"To preserve and protect the precious tea varieties that the mountains and forests have bestowed, the commune will establish the Bien Cuong Ancient Tea Processing Cooperative (Cooperative) and invest in tea processing equipment. At the same time, the cooperative will guide people in harvesting, caring for, preserving, propagating and expanding the tea area," Mr. Tan Chin Lung shared.
The initial members of the cooperative were experienced tea pickers and tea roasters. They were trained and guided by the local government, and given favorable conditions to borrow capital from banks for production.
Mr. Tan Sai Pha, Chairman of the Cooperative, said that at first the Cooperative only produced tea by hand, but gradually accumulated capital, borrowed more capital from the bank to invest in machinery to produce high-end products, bringing in high income.
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Ancient tea trees help Mo Si San people escape poverty. |
"In the past, the tea she harvested was sold fresh, with insignificant income and was forced to lower prices by traders. But after establishing the cooperative, the tea was processed into many products, increasing the value of Shan Tuyet tea, helping the 7 members of the cooperative have a stable income and escape poverty," said Mr. Pha.
Currently, we have launched many products on the market such as green tea (2.5 million VND/kg), black tea, yellow tea (3 million VND/kg), white tea (tens of millions of VND/kg)...
Preserving and developing ancient tea forests not only increases income for cooperative members, but also improves the lives of many households in Mo Si San commune.
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Ancient tea forest covered in mist all year round. |
Mr. Tan Chin Lung said that the ancient tea forest is the common property of the people of his commune; each year the locality allows people to pick tea for 2 months. After picking the tea, people sell it to the processing cooperative. Each year the tea forest brings in an income of nearly 50 million VND for the people.
"With the income from tea, people reinvest in planting forests, buying buffaloes and cows to develop livestock farming, helping to escape poverty sustainably in the future," said Mr. Lung.
Besides tea processing, Mo Si San commune is opening a new direction in developing eco-tourism associated with community culture to help people earn more income and promote the cultural identity of the Red Dao people.
Ms. Tan Chin Xuan shared that thanks to the ancient tea trees, her family has changed; the income from tea has allowed her to buy buffaloes and cows, and send her children to school. "Every year during the tea picking season, I go into the forest to pick tea and sell it to the cooperative. With some capital, I bought buffaloes to raise. Thanks to good care, the buffaloes grow very quickly and are ready to give birth. Although life is still difficult, the family has food and savings; there is a motorbike to take the children to school," Ms. Xuan confided.
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From ancient tea trees, people process many types of precious tea with high economic value. |
Identifying this as a tree that helps people eliminate hunger and reduce poverty, the People's Committee of Phong Tho district has issued a project "Preserving and developing ancient tea areas in Phong Tho district". When income is guaranteed and family economy develops, people have the responsibility to deploy, preserve, harvest, and process, thereby creating unique Shan Tuyet tea products that the mountains and forests have bestowed," said Mr. Tan Chin Lung.
Source: https://tienphong.vn/dong-bao-dao-cung-gin-giu-rung-che-co-thu-nghin-nam-de-lam-giau-post1749588.tpo
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