Ha Giangs Shan Tuyet tea receives geographical indication certificate

Local people harvest Shan Tuyet tea in Vi Xuyen district. (Photo: Van Doi)

The northern province of Ha Giang held a ceremony on December 1 to announce the geographical indication for Shan Tuyet tea.

The geographical indication for Shan Tuyet tea covers tea produced in 44 communes of five districts and one city in Ha Giang province, which is the third largest tea-growing area in Vietnam.

Ha Giang Vice Chairman, Nguyen Minh Tien, stated that the geographical indication certificate is the result of years of selecting and reviving the gene pool of ancient Shan Tuyet trees.

The province currently has 20,000 hectares of tea, of which 18,000 hectares are productive, with an annual output of 67,500 tonnes. Ha Giang province has determined tea as one of the key crops in its agricultural development strategy.

Notably Ha Giang possesses many old Shan Tuyet tea forests, mainly growing at altitudes of 600-1,000 metres above sea level in Vi Xuyen, Hoang Su Phi, Xin Man and Quang Binh districts.

Shan Tuyet tea trees grow in the natural environment, completely free from pesticides and growth stimulants, therefore they are used to produce organic tea products.

In the future, the province will publish documents on the management and use of the geographical indication and promulgate the technical process concerning the production of Shan Tuyet tea in order to maintain the geographical indication and protect local growers and consumers.