Harvesting of early spring tea in full swing in county in SW China's Sichuan

Tea farmers in Jiang'an county, Yibin city of southwest China's Sichuan Province, have recently been busy picking tea leaves to meet growing market demand.

Photo shows tea farmers in a tea plantation in Jiang'an county, Yibin city of southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Photo/Zou Chengcheng)

"Our company picks about 100 kilograms of young tea buds a day, and the harvesting season will last till May," explained Luo Jiakui, deputy general manager of Jiang'an Zhudu Tea Co., Ltd.

The freshly harvested tea leaves were immediately processed. "Our tea will be sold to places such as Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Jiangsu," said Luo. "Because of the multitudes of orders our company has already received, pre-sale tea products ordered now will not be delivered before Feb. 8."

Tea farmers pick tea leaves in a tea plantation in Jiang'an county, Yibin city of southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Photo/Zou Chengcheng)

Jiang'an, whose tea harvesting season starts earlier than other tea producing areas located at the same latitude, is home to 28,000 mu (about 1,860 hectares) of early spring tea, and has made it a mainstay of the county's agriculture. About 20,000 people in the county now work in the industry, bringing an extra 5,000 yuan (about $737) to each household that is engaged in the planting of tea trees.

"It is estimated that 1,000 tonnes of early spring tea will be produced this year, whose output value will be near 100 million yuan," said Tan Dengpan, an official from the county.

A worker processes tea leaves in a plant in Jiang'an county, Yibin city of southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Photo/Zou Chengcheng)