Bac Ha district in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai, a famous production hub of Shan Tuyet tea, is rolling out measures to promote the economic value of the specialty and bring the product to more foreign markets, reported Nong nghiep Vietnam (Vietnam Agriculture) newspaper.
Currently, Bac Ha has 950 hectares of teas, including 700 hectares of organic tea farm. Shan Tuyet is the first five-star OCOP product of Lao Cai that has been exported to the US and Europe.
Nguyen Xuan Giang, head of the Division of Agriculture and Rural Development of Da Bac district said that Shan Tuyet tea is the first Vietnamese organic farm produce exported to foreign market. Bac Ha Shan Tuyet tea is the first and only product that is ranked five stars by the “One Commune, One Product” (OCOP) Programme of Lao Cai.
In 2025, the locality plans to expand Shan Tuyet tea farms to 1,500 hectares, 803 hectares higher than in 2022, all of them are organic. It will also work to preserve ancient Shan Tuyet tea areas in association with promoting tourism development in Hoang Thu Pho commune.
Currently, Bac Ha still has about 40 hectares of ancient Shan Tuyet teas, which has been cared for by the Mong, Tay and Nung ethnic minority people in the mountainous communes of Hoang Thu Pho, Ta Cu Ty, and Ban Lien, along with nearly 700 hectares of organic Shan Tuyet tea farms, mostly in Ban Lien, Ta Cu Ty, Nam Khanh, Ta Van Chu and Hoang Thu Pho communes.
In order to ensure the stable quality of the product and develop its trademark, local farmers have cooperated with cooperatives and received support in all production stages as well as product selling.
Sai Thi Bich Hue, Director of Quang Tom Cooperative in Ta Chai commune, said that despite the abundant Shan Tuyet material supply, Bac Ha has yet to fully exploit the value of the product.
She said that along with buying fresh Shan Tuyet tea, the cooperative has given guidance to local farmers in farming and harvesting technique and ensure all the production stages meet organic standards.
In the first nine months of this year, Bac Ha harvested 2,876 tonnes of fresh tea buds, or 553 tonnes of dried tea, earning over 48.8 billion VND (1.96 million USD), a record revenue to date.
This year, the locality expects to reap 3,700 tonnes of fresh tea and a revenue of 63.5 billion VND.
