Proactive output
More than 10 years ago, I visited the “capital” of Gay Cao Son tea. At that time, most of the harvested Gay tea products were brought by the people to the Cay Nhan market in the center of the commune to sell to traders. I still remember that the market was busiest at 4-5 am, when traders drove dozens of trucks to buy tea for the people. When the sky was bright, trucks full of Gay tea headed downstream for consumption.
The image of buying tea in the early morning like that has gradually ended since the Gay Cao Son Tea Cooperative was established in 2018. Accordingly, every day, traders contact the cooperative to place orders, and people harvest tea according to the specific quantity in the order, ensuring enough for traders to buy during the day, avoiding the previous situation of competing to buy and sell.
Since changing the form of importing goods for traders, people are very excited because they can both accurately grasp the needs of buyers and avoid the situation of everyone selling for themselves, which leads to an unstable market. Ms. Nguyen Thi Ha in Hamlet 4, Cao Son Commune, is quickly harvesting on the Gay tea garden and said: Her family has more than 1 hectare of tea grown for many years. Because it is harvested in a rolling manner, there is tea for sale almost every day, the quantity according to the cooperative's plan. Like today, the cooperative ordered 30 bundles of tea to be delivered before 5 pm, so the family was busy harvesting from early afternoon to meet the demand.
“Previously, people brought tea to the market to sell without any direction, so the price was unstable. Now, there is a cooperative that acts as a contact point for traders to ensure output and more stable prices. Before 2022, the price of tea was 10,000 VND/bundle, now it has increased to 13,000 VND/bundle. With such a selling price, each family earns from 300,000 - 400,000 VND/bundle. Growing tea mainly requires initial investment in seeds, land preparation, and fertilizer; later, after harvesting a crop, only a small amount of NPK fertilizer is needed for the tea to grow well,” Ms. Ha shared.
Mr. Nguyen Tho Hue - a tea buyer in Vinh City said that almost every day he drives a 2-ton truck to Cao Son to buy Gay tea to sell to wholesalers in markets in the city area. He said: "Gay Cao Son tea has a sweet and astringent taste, different from tea from other places, customers really like it. Every day, I consume thousands of bundles of Gay tea. Before going to buy tea, I contacted the cooperative to place an order, which is convenient for both parties, no longer having to waste time looking for goods."
Gay Cao Son tea products have been known and trusted by customers in many places, not only in the provincial market but also in Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, and even some traders transport them to Hanoi for consumption.
Mr. Nguyen Hong Son - Chairman of Cao Son Commune People's Committee said: Due to the increasingly large market and increasing demand, Cao Son commune people have invested in expanding the tea growing area. Previously, the tea growing area in the commune usually fluctuated from 450 - 500 hectares, but this year it increased to 560 hectares. To plant new tea, people only need to dig trenches, fertilize with NPK fertilizer, then sow seeds and cover with a layer of dry cajuput leaves, or cover with plastic, to keep the soil moist and prevent weeds from growing. After 1 year, the tea grows to about 60 - 70 cm high and is ready for harvest.
Harvesting tea is quite simple, just use a sickle to cut the plant horizontally, about 10 cm above the ground, then fertilize the tea to continue to sprout and grow. After cutting, the tea is sold in bundles, each bundle weighs about 1.5 kg.
Improve quality, spread Gay tea brand
“Cao Son has 3 main crops for income: acacia for timber, rice and Gay tea. For Gay tea products alone, in the first 10 months of 2023, the whole commune estimated an income of about 14 billion VND, this year it is expected that people will earn nearly 20 billion VND. In 2018, the commune received support from the Department of Science and Technology to build a Gay tea production model according to the VietGAP process; in 2019, Cao Son Gay tea products were recognized as meeting the 3-star OCOP standard at the provincial level. Currently, more than 100 hectares of Gay tea are produced according to the VietGAP process.
The local policy is to expand the area of Gay tea on ineffective hilly lands; continue to develop the tea growing process according to VietGAP, in order to maintain and spread the brand," said Mr. Nguyen Hong Son - Chairman of Cao Son Commune People's Committee.
Standing in front of a lush green tea garden, Mr. Nguyen Hong Son shared the secret to identifying Gay Cao Son tea, which is the characteristic of small leaves, thick edges, and crispness. When you gently crush the tea leaves in your palm, you can hear a cracking sound.
In addition to climate and soil factors, the distinct taste of Gay tea is partly due to the secret of harvesting. That is, it is not harvested too young or too old, but harvested at the right age, the leaves have a light yellow-green color.
One day returning to Cao Son commune, visiting many tea gardens, I heard many interesting stories about Gay tea trees. The tea farmers said that to have a delicious bowl of tea, in addition to fresh tea leaves, it is also necessary to boil it with well water to have a sweet and astringent taste and a special aroma.
Tea is picked from the garden, washed with well water, the branches are broken off, the leaves are left intact, then put into a clay pot. Water is drawn from the well, boiled with firewood, then poured into the pot, and the tea is covered. When the tea is cooked, the water has a golden color, a sweet, cool aroma.
Mr. Hoang Van Thai - Acting Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Anh Son district said that, based on the fact that Gay Cao Son tea products have been recognized as VietGAP and achieved 3 OCOP stars at the provincial level, the district continues to guide the locality to maintain and spread the brand and orientate to find stable consumption markets, in order to increase product value.
“Gay tea is a famous product in the province, and has long been favored by consumers. However, in order for people to continue expanding tea acreage and increasing product value, it is necessary to pay attention to investing in processing and have a more stable consumption orientation,” Mr. Thai added.
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