Thanh Binh Lao Cai Tea Co., Ltd, formerly the Thanh Binh Tea Farm set up in 1967, was transformed into a wholly State-owned enterprise, administered by Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee, in August 2010. Assigned the tasks of providing technical support, supplying materials and seedlings, purchasing fresh tea and processing dried tea for export in Muong Khuong district, Lao Cai province, the company now has one processing plant, one Shan tea trunk nursery, two Shan tea plant nurseries, and 20 tea buying locations in four communes of Lung Vai, Thanh Binh, Ban Sen and Ban Lau in Muong Khuong district.
In 2010, under the guidance of the Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Thanh Binh Tea Company joined hands with Lao Cai Plant Protection Bureau to carry out the project "Building safe tea production region towards VietGAP standards in Muong Khuong district, Lao Cai in the 2011 - 2015 period" to plant 1,000 ha of tea in four communes of Lung Vai, Thanh Binh, Ban Sen and Ban Lau. When the company set up the project, it took soil samples for analysis, trained VietGAP-standard tea production, organised field trips to other tea farms to gain experience and knowledge, built tea farming models, and upgraded production lines. The firm also guided farmers to use fertilisers and plant protection chemicals scientifically and appropriately, and build waste dumpsites. After five years, the 1,000-ha safe tea zone in Muong Khuong was certified VietGAP standards by the Agricultural Environmental Institute.
After 15 years of construction and development, the tea zone in Muong Khuong district was expanded from 100 ha to 2,300 ha, of which 60 per cent is commercial area. The zone, which produces nearly 7,000 tonnes of raw tea a year, employs nearly 2,500 households with 9,200 workers.
In the face of global economic recession and rising input prices, the company has managed to utilise its strengths and enlist assistance and support from all government levels and business sectors to grasp opportunity to boost sales and export. With good export performances, the company ensures high buying prices to increase profit margins for farmers who will make a greater effort on better incomes. The company's revenue thus increases 20-25 per cent year after year. Its revenue rose from VND35.2 billion in 2012 to VND57 billion in 2014 and was expected at VND63 billion in 2015. The company's major export markets are the Middle East and Taiwan. Its dried tea is highly appreciated by partners and customers for quality.
In the coming time, the company will continue to expand its tea area to meet market demands. Director Bui Duc Rang said, “After the project is completed, the company will continue to expand its tea area for future development. Besides, the company has planned to build the second processing plant with a daily capacity of 100 tonnes on an area of 2.14 ha, which is scheduled to go into operation in 2017. The firm will strengthen marketing activities to boost the popularity of Muong Khuong tea brand featured by VietGAP-standard compliance, beautiful packaging designs and diverse models in both domestic and foreign markets.”
Duy Anh
Vietnamese
