Warning regarding a returned shipment of exported tea.

(Baonghean) - From the beginning of 2015 until now, some Vietnamese tea exporting businesses have faced a rather ironic situation. Dozens of containers of Vietnamese tea exported to several European countries have been returned by partners because the products were found to contain pesticide residues exceeding permissible levels. Furthermore, the returned tea containers were also subject to import tax.

According to a tea exporting company, this is not the first time tea products originating from Vietnam have been returned. Since 2012, many shipments exported to Europe have also committed the same violation and have been forced to return home. The returned tea products all contained excessive levels of two pesticide active ingredients, Acetamiprid and Imidacloprid, thus failing to meet food safety and hygiene standards. Recently, in mid-April 2015, three more containers of Vietnamese tea exported to Taiwan were also returned.

Tea nursery in Hamlet 1, Hung Son Commune (Anh Son District).

It is worth noting that besides these two pesticides, there are currently four other pesticides (Fipronil, Carbendazim, Cypermethrin, and Buprofezin) that are also banned by tea-importing countries, especially the EU and Taiwan, but have not yet been removed from the list of banned pesticides on tea plants by Vietnamese authorities. This situation will be a major obstacle preventing Vietnamese tea products from penetrating the global and regional markets. This is a matter that needs to be addressed early so that preventive measures can be taken before it is too late.

By the end of 2015, Nghe An province was striving to achieve the target of 12,000 hectares of industrial tea plantations. Although the current tea cultivation area is over 8,000 hectares, the Nghe An Tea Investment and Development Company Limited has produced approximately 7,000 tons of dried tea of ​​various types per year. Of this, the total output of dried tea (mainly black and green tea) exported to markets in former Eastern European countries, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China (approximately 6,500 tons/year) is significant. Nghe An tea has long been considered a clean tea region, with producers investing in and caring for their tea plants according to the guidance of the Nghe An Tea Investment and Development Company Limited and the Agricultural Extension Center. Some tea-growing areas have even invested in VietGAP-certified tea. However, recent reports of Vietnamese tea being rejected serve as a lesson for both tea growers and businesses in Nghe An.

In Nghe An province, although the total tea cultivation area is only about 9,000 hectares, there are currently 5 tea processing factories under the Nghe An Tea Investment and Development Company Limited, not to mention dozens of small-scale tea processing facilities run by households. Most private tea processing factories have small capacities and outdated technology, resulting in low product quality. Small-scale tea processing workshops are even more backward. This is the primary reason why the quality and export price of Vietnamese tea lack competitiveness in the international market.

To date, the vast tea growing area, an effective poverty alleviation crop in Nghe An, is thanks to state investment, capital, and the efforts of the Nghe An Tea Investment and Development Company Limited, as well as the tea growers themselves. However, with the proliferation of private tea factories and artisanal tea processing facilities, coupled with price competition, tea growers are turning their backs on the investors to chase profits per kilogram of fresh tea. This is also a reason why many tea growers may disregard the quarantine period for pesticides, aiming to increase the number of harvests and the yield of fresh tea without regard for product quality. According to the Vietnam Tea Association, this is the main reason why a significant amount of Vietnamese tea exported from some localities contains pesticide residues exceeding permissible levels.

To prevent the aforementioned situation and help tea growers in Nghe An have a stable and long-term livelihood on their tea plantations, contributing to the sustainable development of the tea processing industry, the Nghe An Tea Investment and Development Company Limited and its member units must now revitalize relationships and proactively work with localities with raw material areas to build a value chain from tea growers to processing and consumption enterprises. By doing this well, Nghe An will achieve its goal of linking raw material areas with each processing factory, creating conditions for managing the entire process from production, harvesting, and processing to ensure both food safety and product quality.

According to the Vietnam Tea Association (Vitas), the average export price of Vietnamese tea has remained very low compared to tea products from other countries for many years. Besides black tea, we currently export it in raw form in 50kg bags, with only 10% exported as finished products, so the price only reaches US$1,695 per ton. In Nghe An province, most exported tea products are raw and have low value. Because they are exported in raw form, quality control is difficult and adulteration is easily facilitated during distribution.

According to Mr. Ho Ngoc Sy, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, in order for Nghe An's tea products to integrate deeply into the global market, tea purchasing and processing businesses in the province need to simultaneously perform the following two tasks well: Firstly, they must invest in technological innovation and equipment to produce high value-added products, thereby creating conditions to strive to bring the export price of Nghe An tea on par with the world average. Secondly, tea purchasing and processing businesses must closely cooperate with tea growers to effectively manage everything from seed selection and production processes to the quality of each kilogram of fresh tea leaves and food safety in each export batch. Tea growers need to consider the long-term benefits of their tea plantations, grasp information, and practice clean production to ensure output and safety for consumers. If both of these issues are addressed, Nghe An's tea products will certainly pass the "screening" process of all partners and conquer international and regional markets.

Vo Thanh Mai(Vietnam Agriculture Newspaper)