Taiwanese media reported that Vietnamese tea plants were grown in soil containing the toxic chemical dioxin, but the Vietnam Tea Association sent Taiwan certifications and documents confirming tea was dioxin-free and Taiwan then approved the imports, said Doan Trong Phuong, Vice Chairman of the association.
The association has kept gathering information on Vietnamese tea in case Taiwan continues to tighten inspections. Le Van Minh, Director of Lam Dong province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said previously the root cause of false information was unhealthy competition among tea firms. The false information has seriously affected tea enterprises in the province.
Currently, there are 20 tea enterprises in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, which uses about 3,000 hectares of its qualified land for tea cultivation.
Vietnam is among the top five tea producers and ranks fifth among tea exporters. The average value of Vietnamese tea exports is estimated at 1,200 USD per hectare.-VNA
