Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Nearly 30 firms and 20,000 farmers will take part inproducing 25,000 tonnes of tea of international standards in a project to promotethe private-public partnership (PPP) model in tea production.
Theinformation was released at a conference to launch the second phase of theproject “promoting tea farmers to join the sustainable and quality tea supplychain” in Hanoi on February 28.
Theproject, jointly implemented by the sustainable trade initiative (IDH)organisation of the Netherlands, the Unilever group and the Ministry of Agricultureand Rural Development (MARD), aims to train and provide technical assistancefor farmers to produce tea certified by the Rainforest Alliance(RA).
LeQuang Chuyen, Deputy Director General of the My Lam Tea JSC in northern TuyenQuang province said the PPP model has helped improve tea quality andproductivity while saving production costs and labour. Their tea products meetfood safety requirements of the EU and Japan.
TranVu Hoai, Vice President of Unilever Vietnam, underlined tea quality improvementsafter three years of implementing the PPP model, saying that the group raisedits import volume of Vietnam’s tea from 5,000 tonnes to 11,000 tonnes.
Heexpressed his hope that with the model will continue improving Vietnam’s teaquality and the group can import up to 20,000 tonnes of tea from Vietnam.
Underthe second phase of the project, 15 factories and 6,500 households are expectedto work together and produce 25,000 tonnes of tea, including 15,000 tonnes ofRA certified tea, which are shipped overseas and supply for Unilever.
Sofar, only eight firms have registered to join the project.
Besides,the Vietnam Tea Association is implementing an IDH-funded project on thequality and sustainability of the tea industry. The project aims to enhanceVietnam’s tea quality to meet international standards. - VNA
