People pledge not to dig up yellow tea flower roots to sell to traders

(Baonghean.vn) - From a plant growing naturally in the forest, yellow flower tea has become a medicinal plant worth millions of VND/kg, opening up a way for people to get rich.

Since 2016, upon hearing that the district had a policy to expand the area for planting yellow tea flowers, Mr. Sam Van Tuyen in Long Quang village, Tien Phong commune, has been looking for tea trees scattered in the forest to plant. After many months of searching, last year his family planted 200 trees, and this year he plans to plant a few hundred more.

Mr. Tuyen shared: "Knowing that the yellow tea flower tree is valuable, I went into the forest to find and bring it back to plant to protect the seed source, hoping that in the future I can plant and expand the area. This is a naturally occurring plant species so it likes shade, is easy to grow, easy to harvest and preserve."

The economic value of the medicinal plant yellow tea flower is very high, so not only Mr. Tuyen but also many people in Long Quang village have found the plant to bring home to plant in their gardens.

Mr. Luong Xuan Hiem in Long Quang village, Tien Phong commune shared: "Seeing Mr. Tuyen bring yellow tea flowers back to plant, I also brought back and planted nearly 100 trees. I will plant more here because I see traders coming to buy fresh, dried and high quality flowers."

The Que Phong District Oriental Medicine Association processes and packages yellow flower tea to supply the market. Photo: Nguyen Nguyen

Traders buy yellow flower tea at a price of 150,000 - 250,000 VND/kg fresh, depending on the time. Dried flowers cost from 1.5 - 2.6 million VND/kg.

In addition to the people actively bringing yellow tea flowers to plant in concentrated areas, in 2016, Que Phong district has planted more than 10,000 seedlings for people in Hanh Dich commune to plant. According to the plan, this year, 30,000 more seedlings will be planted to supply Tien Phong and Muong Noc communes to expand the planting area.

Golden flower tea. Photo: Archive.

According to Mr. Lo Hung Cuong - Deputy Head of the Department of Industry and Trade of Que Phong district, currently, in the communes of Dong Van, Hanh Dich, Tien Phong, there have been some people entering the forest to dig up roots, cut down yellow tea trees to sell to small traders, affecting the conservation of seed sources and the development of yellow tea trees. In this situation, the district has directed communes and towns to propagate to people not to help these people destroy yellow tea trees.

At the same time, communes mobilized people to sign a commitment not to cut down yellow tea trees in particular and medicinal plants in general.

People of Cham village, Hanh Dich commune signed a commitment to protect the yellow tea flower trees and not dig up and sell the roots to traders. Photo: Van Thanh

From the effects of yellow flower tea, recently the Department of Science and Technology of Nghe An has coordinated to produce tea in filter bags and build a brand for this product... With high-tech production products, when people expand the planting area, they will not have to worry about the lack of output for yellow flower tea products.

Growing medicinal plants like yellow tea flowers and building a brand for local specialty products is a new development direction of Que Phong district to form a concentrated production area for high economic value. Preserving and developing the yellow tea flower variety will create stable jobs for people, helping them to get rich on their homeland.

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Van Thanh

Que Phong Station