Bien Ho Tea Company destroys hundreds of hectares of tea to grow coffee due to losses

Unable to sell the tea produced, and workers' salaries were delayed, Bien Ho Tea Joint Stock Company decided to destroy hundreds of hectares of tea to switch to growing coffee.

The vast tea plantations with a history of more than 100 years in Bien Ho will likely disappear when businesses destroy them and plant coffee - Photo: TAN LUC

The decision to destroy hundreds of hectares of tea has left many people regretful as the image of the poetic Bien Ho tea hills that have existed since the French colonial period may no longer exist.

Hundred-year-old tea plantation at risk of disappearing

According to the business leader, Bien Ho tea plantation has existed for more than 100 years, since the French started growing tea in this area in 1921. However, over many historical periods, most of the tea trees have been replaced and replanted, only a few old tea trees remain.

According to Tuoi Tre Online on March 29, many tea growing areas of the company in Nghia Hung commune, Chu Pah district have been destroyed.

In the tea plots, tea plants were uprooted by excavators and holes were dug in preparation for planting coffee. Some areas that were removed early have been planted with coffee seedlings and are growing well.

Hundreds of hectares of tea plantations of Bien Ho Tea Joint Stock Company have been destroyed to prepare for coffee planting - Photo: TAN LUC

Before this information, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Gia Lai province (now the Department of Agriculture and Environment) inspected the area.

After inspection, this agency believes that the Bien Ho Tea Joint Stock Company's act of destroying its tea garden to plant coffee without the approval of the Provincial People's Committee is contrary to the land use plan after equitization and the Law on Cultivation. Therefore, it is recommended that the company stop destroying its garden and wait for the direction of the Provincial People's Committee.

Meanwhile, Mr. Nguyen Cong Tien, director of Bien Ho Tea Joint Stock Company, said that the conversion of crops aims to bring high efficiency, increase income and stabilize the lives of workers.

The company believes that the conversion to coffee cultivation is not against the provisions of the Law on Cultivation because coffee is also a key crop of the locality and is allowed to be converted.

Workers of Bien Ho Tea Joint Stock Company pick tea on the remaining areas on the morning of March 29 - Photo: TAN LUC

Mr. Tien said that in recent years, the tea industry has faced many difficulties, and the products produced cannot be sold. Up to now, the foreign partner still owes the company 13 billion VND without payment, and the future prospects of the tea plant are very uncertain.

Meanwhile, coffee prices have remained high over the years, bringing huge profits to growers. The conversion will improve business efficiency and take better care of workers’ lives.

According to Mr. Tien, after equitization, the company became 100% privately owned, so it had full authority to dispose of the company's assets. At the time of equitization, there was only a commitment with the province to maintain the status quo for 3 years, which has now expired.

Faced with concerns that destroying tea trees would destroy the landscape and attract tourists, Mr. Tien said the company was very conscious in proactively preserving more than 60 hectares of tea to create habitats for tourism development in areas with many tourists such as the hundred-year-old pine trees and Buu Minh Pagoda.

Switching to coffee growing is the solution?

After receiving information about the incident, the Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee chaired a meeting to listen to reports from departments and branches about Bien Ho Tea Joint Stock Company converting tea to coffee.

According to Mr. Duong Mah Tiep, Vice Chairman of Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee, the company's production and business situation in recent years has been loss-making because tea products cannot be exported and are difficult to consume domestically.

Therefore, the company needs to convert to improve land use efficiency, increase company profits and workers' income.

Coffee trees grow well on the tea growing area of ​​Bien Ho Tea Joint Stock Company - Photo: TAN LUC

Therefore, the Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee assigned the Department of Agriculture and Environment to preside over and coordinate with relevant agencies to guide the company to complete the dossier requesting adjustment of the land use plan in the direction of converting part of the ineffective tea production area to coffee cultivation.

The conversion excludes tea areas associated with tourist landscapes at the hundred-year-old pine trees, Buu Minh Pagoda, and Ya Lu Lake. It is known that the land area after equitization of this company is 607 hectares, including 585 hectares of agricultural land used to grow tea, coffee, and bank land.

Ms. T., a worker at Bien Ho Tea Joint Stock Company, said that in order to convert tea to coffee, contracted workers must pay the company. For 5 sao of tea converted to coffee, Ms. T. had to pay 50 million VND, an amount the company promised to pay gradually in the future.

In addition, the cost of destroying tea trees, digging holes to plant coffee, seedlings, fertilizers, etc., workers have to pay for themselves.

According to Ms. T., not everyone agrees with the policy of converting crops, but in recent years the tea business has been difficult, the company has been slow to pay salaries. On the contrary, with the high price of coffee, people also hope that switching to coffee cultivation will be a lifesaver, helping workers to have less economic hardship.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/cong-ty-che-bien-ho-pha-hang-tram-hecta-che-de-trong-ca-phe-vi-thua-lo-20250329142716784.htm