Fujian Anxi Spring Tea Production Affected by Heavy Rain, Severe Losses for Tea Farmers
May is usually the time when Anxi spring tea should be fully available on the market. However, Mr. Li, a tea farmer from Longfang Village, Longju Township in Anxi County, reported to China Voice that the recent continuous heavy rain has resulted in their inability to harvest and process the spring tea, causing severe losses for the farmers.
Mr. Li Jinfu, who lives in Longju Township, Anxi County, has planted more than 10 acres of tea. But due to the heavy rains over the past few days, the quality of the harvested tea leaves has been very poor, making them unsellable. If not picked in time, the tea leaves will easily age and become waste.
Mr. Li: "It has been raining continuously these few days, so the tea leaves cannot be harvested. My own tea plantation has lost approximately 30,000 yuan. There's nothing we can do but cut all the leaves off."
Old Li mentioned that their village is a tea-growing area, where eighty percent of the villagers rely on tea cultivation for their livelihood. This time, they have all suffered varying degrees of loss.
Mr. Li: "The output will definitely decrease. We've only managed to harvest about two dan (approximately 200 pounds) this year, whereas in previous years we could harvest over ten dan (more than a thousand pounds)."
The reduction in output has also directly affected the price of tea. After visiting several tea shops in Quanzhou, the store owners confirmed that the price of tea on the market has indeed slightly increased recently. The price hikes are mainly concentrated in high-end teas, such as Tieguanyin. Overall prices for Anxi Tieguanyin have risen by 3%, and some tea merchants occasionally encounter difficulties in purchasing tea.
Tea dealer Mr. Li: "Since it started raining on May 5th, tea has been unavailable for purchase. The production has decreased by more than half. To buy better quality tea now means higher prices, because the better quality teas have experienced noticeable price increases. However, ordinary tea hasn't seen much of a price rise."
According to information obtained from the Agriculture Bureau of Anxi County in Fujian Province, this year Anxi spring tea has consecutively faced early spring frost and current heavy rains. The total amount of spring tea already on the market is approximately 17,000 tons, which is less compared to last year.
Director Yang of the Tea Station at the Agriculture Bureau of Anxi County introduced that currently, the main tea-producing townships have basically completed the harvesting and processing of spring tea, with most of the spring tea already on the market. However, there are still individual high-altitude townships like Longju Township that have been unable to complete the harvesting and processing due to weather conditions.
Director Yang: "Spring tea should theoretically have been basically harvested and processed by now, but due to the impact of this year's climate, the heavy rain has caused a significant portion of the high-altitude tea plantations to be unable to process the tea, resulting in a reduced overall output of Anxi tea."
To avoid similar situations in the future and minimize losses for tea farmers as much as possible, the agriculture department will guide the farmers in reasonably adjusting the variety structure.
Deputy Director Song of the Agriculture Bureau of Anxi County: "In the future, we need to adjust the variety structure, combining different varieties of tea plants. By planting some earlier-maturing varieties, we can stagger the peak harvesting period—some early, some mid-season, and some late. This way, we can reduce the impact of weather on the tea harvesting and processing."