A brewing recovery

Tea farmers have literally received a helping hand－make that several－during the spring tea harvest amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

Li Xiangrong was relieved when the local government sent personnel to inquire about his needs in early March.

The 41-year-old runs a large tea plantation in Banzhang village in Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture in Southwest China's Yunnan province.

He usually hires help during harvests, but the epidemic meant nonresidents couldn't enter the village.

"It wasn't safe for them to come to work on my fields, and I couldn't risk infections."

So, the local government sent him over 10 workers who'd undertaken health checks.

The new recruits were trained in tea picking and processing. Li worked alongside them.

"It was hard work," he says. "But it's totally worth it, knowing my tea production wouldn't be affected much."

Yunnan is a major tea base nationally, and about 6 million people in the province work in the sector. But the epidemic has gripped harvesting, production and sales.

The spring production usually accounts for a third of the province's annual production, the Yunnan Tea Marketing Association reports.

Picking usually starts in March and lasts until May.

Governments at various levels have arranged for officers to go door to door and ask about each farmer's needs to minimize losses.

Online promotions have boosted sales.

Tea has helped rural residents overcome poverty in recent years.

Li sold 320 kilograms of tea for more than 3 million yuan ($424,000) in 2019, including 200 kilograms for 2 million yuan during the spring. Li's tea trees are 500 years old on average, and prices for premium leaves from these trees have risen dramatically over the years.

He and his family had lived hand to mouth before 2006.

"We lived in a thatched cottage and could barely afford to eat meat once a month," Li says.

Things changed when Kunming Colorful Yunnan King-Shine Tea Industry Co moved into the area.

The company has since developed steady cooperation with more than 30,000 rural households in its tea-production base in Banzhang village.

Unsophisticated production techniques and an underdeveloped market had kept local tea farmers from achieving good sales, says Li Wenshun, a purchasing manager with the Kunming company.

The highest price for premium tea was only 40 yuan a kilogram then, he says.

"We helped them improve procedures and ensure they follow our hygiene requirements."

The company also gave the planters free bamboo mats for collection and drying.

"The leaves can't touch the ground at any point," Li Wenshun says.

Farmers were also trained in modern processing and management methods to increase their output and produce premium tea.

Products are identified with QR codes so consumers can track information from picking to processing, packaging, storage and circulation.

Over the years, prices have surged to between 100,000 yuan and 120,000 yuan a kilogram.

Most people in Banzhang and nearby villages have moved into large villas. Today, they enjoy paved roads, electricity and clean water.

Li Xiangrong says he didn't have to worry about his tea reaching the market during the pandemic.

Kunming Colorful Yunnan King-Shine Tea Industry Co bought all 110 kilograms he produced for 12,000 yuan a kilogram. Sales were paused in February and resumed in March.

The company has spent more than 50 million yuan purchasing tea from villages in Yunnan.

"We must help (tea farmers) as much as we can, even if we face difficulties," company founder Ren Huaican says.

Ren started the company in 2006 to fully tap the local tea industry's potential and increase local incomes after he discovered that nearly 10 million local people were involved in the business.

Tea output has also been affected by droughts in some plantation regions in Xishuangbanna earlier this year.

Ren's company didn't reduce its procurements of tea from villagers and bought it at the same price as before.

"The pandemic has hampered tea sales but will surely increase demand for healthy products, including premium tea," Li Wenshun says.

The drought seems to have somehow added flavor to the leaves, he says.

King-Shine has stepped up online sales and expanded support for its marketing partners nationwide.

"We'll open more offline tasting events for our partners this year to enable more people to better understand authentic tea from ancient trees," Li Wenshun says.

"Things will be better later."