In recent years, Jingdong County has made full use of its unique ecological advantages to vigorously develop organic Tea industry. The tea gardens spread across the mountains not only invigorate the land with new vitality but also pave the way for local farmers to increase their income.
Tea
In the early morning, the drizzling rain moistens the Green Tea garden. At the foot of the tea mountain, Pu'er Jingdong Cherry Spring Tea Co., Ltd. is bustling with activity. Workers are either carrying Bamboo baskets and moving between tea trees, busily picking tea leaves, or engaged in processing fresh tea, while others are packaging the newly harvested tea for market. As a leader in the organic tea industry in Dajie Town, Pu'er Jingdong Cherry Spring has always adhered to the principles of green, eco-friendly, and sustainable development. They are committed to creating high-quality organic tea brands and strictly follow organic tea production standards. From tea garden management to tea leaf picking, processing, and packaging, every step is meticulously carried out to ensure the quality and safety of the tea.
To help increase the income of local farmers, the company actively explores innovative cooperative models. By increasing cooperation with nearby tea farmers for fresh leaf procurement and providing medium-to-long-term jobs, it ensures stable incomes for the tea farmers. During the conversion process of 6,000 mu of organic tea gardens, the company provides free technical training and guidance to help farmers master scientific methods for organic tea cultivation.
Liu Fang, the company's head, said, “Since we started producing organic tea, we have had 67 regular employees, including 16 households that have been lifted out of poverty and 10 disabled households. We also employ over 200 temporary and seasonal workers. Throughout the year, we produce more than 300 tons of dried tea, with annual operating revenue reaching around 10 million yuan.”
Driven by the organic tea industry, many villagers have chosen to return home for employment, increasing their income while also being able to take care of their families. Tea picker Li Deying told reporters that since she came to pick tea here, her children have been attending school nearby, making it convenient for her to drop them off and pick them up. She can earn about 150-160 yuan per day, amounting to around 20,000 yuan annually.
As one of the key tea-producing towns in Jingdong County, Dajie Town leverages its excellent ecological environment and Tea culture. Relying on the traditional ancient villages of Tianxin Group in Wenshan Village and Sanying Village, it encourages enterprises to develop eco-leisure tourism, tea picking, leisure tea tasting, and farm stays, building an all-chain industry of tea and tourism integration across the entire town. This effectively enhances the ecological and economic benefits of more than 36,200 mu of tea gardens and 6,000 mu of cultivated ancient tea tree gardens within its jurisdiction.
Guo Fubao, the Party Secretary of Dajie Town, introduced that the town will strengthen tea field management and tea picking production skills training to improve the management level and production skills of tea farmers. It will also strengthen publicity and guidance, orderly promote the construction of ecological tea gardens and organic conversion, increase efforts in attracting investment, and introduce strong companies to lead and improve the organization level of tea production, achieving the improvement of tea quality and efficiency as well as sustained income growth for tea farmers.
In recent years, Jingdong County has closely followed the development philosophy of “focusing on industries, mainly industrialization, promoting the integration of primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors,” using “tea” as the starting point. It focuses on planting scale, fine management, premium products, and clustered processing to comprehensively enhance the quality and economic value of the county's tea. Currently, Jingdong County has 173 initial Tea processing facilities, 171 farmer professional cooperatives specializing in tea planting, and 25 deep-processing enterprises. In the first half of 2024, the county produced 9,373.5 tons of raw tea, achieving an agricultural output value of 524 million yuan, with the comprehensive output value of tea reaching 1.94 billion yuan. “A single leaf” is writing a vivid story of enriching the people and strengthening the villages on this land.
Contributors | Zhou Yun Yang Zhaohu Zhou Yuezhong Correspondent: Wang Lijuan