Nghe An farmers harvest the first batch of tea after the drought, traders come to the garden to buy

Huy Thu• September 13, 2019 14:36

(Baonghean.vn) - These days, tea growers in Thanh Chuong district are actively harvesting the first batch of tea after a long drought. Due to the shortage of goods, traders come to their homes to buy.

The recent intense heat wave has scorched more than 500 hectares of tea of all kinds in Thanh Chuong, of which 1/3 to 1/2 of the burned and dead area can be recovered, while the completely burned and dead area must be replanted.

After more than 2 months of recovery, up to now, most of the tea business area in Thanh Chuong has been harvested again. On the tea hills that were burned from 30 - 50% of the area with broken tea rows, there are also plots that have had the first crop cut after the heat. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoe (46 years old) in Hamlet 1, Ngoc Lam Tea Farm said that her family has 0.6 hectares of tea, in the recent heat wave, half of this area was completely burned. The tea buds harvested after the drought were only 500 kg (normally 2.5 tons).

In low hills or irrigated tea areas, the number of dead tea plants is insignificant, the first batch of tea buds after the drought is better. Some areas still have good productivity and output, about 3 - 3.5 tons/ha.

The joy of tea growers when harvesting the first tea crop after the great drought.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Van in Hamlet 1, Ngoc Lam Tea Farm shared that her family has 0.5 hectares of tea for business. The first harvest after the drought was 1.5 tons of tea buds, the yield was half of what it was before.

The price of fresh tea buds in Thanh Chuong currently ranges from 4,800 to 5,800 VND/kg. While tea is scarce, many traders come to the gardens and hills to buy.

For many tea gardens and tea hills that were burned and died on 70% or more of their area in Thanh Duc, Hanh Lam, Ngoc Lam Tea Farm..., farmers have started to replant. For now, this area is being dug into trenches, waiting for suitable weather (mid-October onwards) to start replanting.

Many tea growers in the communes have prepared a large number of tea seedlings on site to plant new plants and replant dead areas. Despite many difficulties and concerns about weather and seasons, tea growers in Thanh Chuong are still making efforts to cover the entire area.