Festival helps VN tea raise global profile

HA NOI — A business seminar on Vietnamese tea was held yesterday in the northern province of Thai Nguyen as part of the first International Tea Festival.

At this forum, foreign and local tea firms signed agreements to co-operate on boosting investment, production and consumption of tea products in the future.

Participants at the seminar also discussed plans to co-operate in the areas of research and development, with the goal of building a trade mark for Vietnamese tea in general and for Thai Nguyen tea in particular.

Some of the attendees said that the quality of fresh tea in certain provinces of Viet Nam was not high enough produce teas that would be competitive in the global market.

The attempt to improve tea-growing land with new seeds was progressing slowly due to outdated processing facilities, they said, adding that not enough attention had yet been paid to building a trade mark.

The seminar was one of seven events held during the first International Tea Festival, which opened on Saturday in Thai Nguyen Province.

This event aimed to honour and advertise Vietnamese tea products to domestic and foreign trade partners.

Speaking at the festival, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung praised the significant achievements of the tea sector as well as the consistent efforts of ministries, agencies, localities, scientists and tea growers.

The Prime Minister hoped the sector would continue to promote these achievements to contribute effectively to poverty reduction, particularly in mountainous areas.

The sector should upgrade tea processing factories and restructure and upgrade tea products so as to better satisfy demand both at home and abroad.

The sector should continue to reorganise production in order to promote efficiency and facilitate co-operation among tea growers and tea processors.

Dung also urged the tea industry to increase its promotional activities. In the next five years, the sector should strive to double or triple tea export turnover, he said.

The festival was attended by representatives from 10 countries and territories, 30 provinces and cities, 50 traditional villages, and 25 tea enterprises.

Viet Nam is endowed with favourable conditions for tea cultivation. Tea has been planted on 130,000ha of land in 34 provinces across the country.

Centralised tea processing zones have been formed in Thai Nguyen, Lam Dong, Phu Tho, Ha Giang, Yen Bai, Tuyen Quang and Son La provinces. Vietnamese tea products are now available in 100 countries and territories.

Last year, Viet Nam exported 135,000 tonnes of tea, earning nearly US$200 million. The nation ranks fifth among the world's largest tea producers and exporters. — VNS