Report Feasibility study organic bitter tea Cao Bang - Helvetas

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Feasibility Study Organic Bitter Tea in Cao Bang: 2007 straw and other materials. During the survey, it was observed in one plot that trees were cut to plant bitter tea and that the field was burned. (See picture on the right.) No forest should be cut for bitter tea planting and burning should not be practised. Available plant material should be composted or used as mulch. Farmers in The Duc commune of Nguyen Binh district mentioned that in their commune a lot of land was available for bitter tea planting. The soil in large areas of the commune is too poor to grow food crops but still suitable for bitter tea. However, it was also noted that there is now not enough maize in the commune because the land is used for bitter tea. To compensate for the loss of income from maize farmers now have to go and work sifting soil in the gold mine. Two remarks have to be made here. First is that bitter tea planting should not go at the cost of planting food crops. Although there is no organic standards specifically forbidding this practices, it is definitely against the spirit of organic production. Therefore, care should be taken in selecting what land to use for bitter tea planting. Secondly, the river that flows past the gold mine and through the commune seems very polluted. This river is a major source for irrigation of the commune. No water samples were taken during the survey but the water is very muddy and full with soil. Farmers also said that the water is very polluted. If this water is to be used for irrigating organic bitter tea, it should be tested and not contain any contaminants in the form of heavy metals, pesticides or other chemicals. 4.3.2. Collecting, yield, timing, etc. Farmers collect buds by hands regularly during the year. Farmers interviewed said that they use new bags (bought in the market) to bring the tea to the BTC. There is almost no storage at the farm since the tea has to be at the processing unit within 24 hours after plucking. Bags and container used for transporting and storing organic product must be clean or new. Synthetic fertilizer bags are not allowed. 4.3.3. Biodiversity Bitter tea is originally a plant from the forest. However, cultivated bitter tea is mostly grown as a monocrop. Conservation of biodiversity is an important aspect of organic production, although few regulations have specific rules on how to conserve biodiversity. However, the IFOAM Basic Standards (which serves as the reference for many national and private organic standards) requires relevant measures to be taken for the provision and improvement of biodiversity. Improving biodiversity should, however, not only be seen as a requirement for organic farming alone, but also as something to enhance the "natural" image of bitter tea which may be appreciated by a number of customers. (As already expressed to the BTC by a Japanese company interested in buying bitter tea from Cao Bang.) - 9 -
Feasibility Study Organic Bitter Tea in Cao Bang: 2007 In South America, bitter tea (mate) specialists claim that the taste of bitter tea grown under shade in the rainforest is much better than tea made from plants grown in full sunlight as it has more flavour, vitality and nutrition (www.guayaki.com, accessed December 8, 2007). Biological diversity could be improved through the use of various practices, such as: Establishment or preservation of non-agricultural areas, such as hedgerows and woodlands, adjacent to or adjoining the organic field; The planting of plants, adjacent to or between cropped areas, that provide habitat for beneficial organisms; Introduction of diverse species into any field or farm parcel planted with a perennial crop; Cover cropping; and Soil building practices. Good examples for enhancing biodiversity would be growing a green manure in the bitter tea field (which is also beneficial for maintaining soil fertility) or to plant bitter tea in a banana field as done by one farmer visited during the survey. (See picture.) 4.4. Collection and transport Farmers bring bitter tea to the factory themselves or through a collector. In some situations, staff of the BTC will come to the farmer's house to pick up the tea. As described by one collector the process is as follows: Farmers bring tea in the afternoon, the leaves will be taken out of the bags and put in a layer on the bed (to keep the tea cool), the following morning the tea will be packed in bags again and put on the bus for transportation to the factory. Farmers use their motorbike for transportation or send the tea by bus. The collectors also mostly make use of the bus service to bring the tea to the factory and there is no control over what is happening during transportation. Bag and container used for transporting and storing organic product must be clean or new. Synthetic fertilizer bags are not allowed. Care should be taken that during transportation the organic products are not contaminated or mixed with non-organic products. As mentioned under 4.2.3 farmers could use new bags for transporting the tea. However, transportation by bus is risky since there is no control over what happens with the tea during the time on the bus or during loading and unloading. Materials used in or produce from organic production must not be stored in the same area as materials/produce from conventional production. Therefore, appropriate measures should be taken to avoid mixing in the case when a collector handles both organic and nonorganic tea. 4.5. Processing The processing of bitter tea is quite a simple process. It includes the following steps: Washing of leaves and cleaning out bad quality leaves Boiling of the leaves in a wok - 10 -
Page 1: Helvetas Vietnam Swiss Association
Page 4 and 5: Feasibility Study Organic Bitter Te
Page 6 and 7: SUMMARY Feasibility Study Organic B
Page 8 and 9: 1. INTRODUCTION Feasibility Study O
Page 22 and 23: storing organic product must be cle
Page 30 and 31: 7.4. Conclusions Feasibility Study
Page 32: ANNEX 1 - LIST OF PEOPLE INTERVIEWE

Report Feasibility study organic bitter tea Cao Bang - Helvetas

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