Tea farmers in Yunnan cut down tea trees to grow coffee

Studio 1

In 2007, Simao City, Yunnan Province changed its name to "Pu'er City". The tea industry was once the main pillar industry in the area, with more than one million growers. Tea has a great influence in the local area, and even tea gardens have become the only source of income for some farmers. recently, however, there has been a strange phenomenon in the area. Some tea farmers are cutting down tea trees that have been in operation for many years.

[commentary] in Nandaohe Village, Simao District, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province, the reporter met villager Guo Fengshu. In her tea garden, the reporter saw that some tea trees that had been cut down had dried up.

Guo Fengshu, a villager from Nandaohe Village, Simao District, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province: this tea can be picked for another season this year.

Interviewer: you can pick another season.

Guo Fengshu, a villager from Nandaohe Village, Simao District, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province: when the coffee gets bigger, the tea will be cut off and changed into coffee.

[explanation] Guo Fengshu has been growing this 5 mu tea garden for seven or eight years. Last July, she interplanted this coffee in the interval between the tea trees. After this season of spring tea is finished, she will cut down all the tea trees and grow only coffee. Guo Fengshu also told reporters that she was not the only one who cut down tea trees and planted coffee in the village, and many people had done so before her.

Reporter: do we have a lot of coffee here like you?

Guo Fengshu, villager of Nandao River Village, Simao District, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province: many, this year.

Interviewer: how about this year?

Guo Fengshu, a villager from Nandaohe Village, Simao District, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province: this year, there is a lot of tea under the opposite mountain, all of which are dug up by excavators and grow coffee like ours.

[commentary] through the understanding of the reporter found that many local coffee growers, used to grow tea, but now have changed to grow coffee.

Zhang Shixiong, a villager from Dakaihe Village, Nanping Town, Simao District, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province: more people are planting coffee now.

Zhou Yanping, a villager from Nandao he Village, Nanping Town, Simao District, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province: like a peasant family, five or six mu, seven or eight mu have all been replanted.

Zhou Yan, a villager from Nandaohe Village, Nanping Town, Simao District, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province: coffee growers are all scrambling to grow coffee, which makes a big profit.

Reporter: I am now in a rough coffee processing factory in Nandaohe Village, Simao District, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province. we see many fellow villagers bring their coffee here for processing.

[explanation] after the coffee beans are picked, they have to be dried and shelled before they can be sold. It is the peak season for processing coffee beans. Seeing that more and more people grow coffee in nearby villages, villager Zhou Yan invested more than 1 million yuan to set up this coffee bean rough processing plant. This is the first year since they were put into production.

Zhou Yan, a villager from Nandao he Village, Nanping Town, Simao District, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province: the income is 0.3 yuan per kilogram and 300 yuan per ton.

Reporter: how much does it have to be processed in a day?

Zhou Yan, a villager from Nandao he Village, Nanping Town, Simao District, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province: normal is about 20 tons.

[commentary] Zhou Yan told reporters that now at the late stage of coffee bean acquisition, many farmers are busy with coffee beans for processing. Zhou Yan's own family has grown 70 mu of coffee and has not yet had time to process it.

Zhou Yan, a villager from Nandaohe Village, Nanping Town, Simao District, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province: in his own factory, others have to process it first.

[explanation] it is understood that Pu'er City in Yunnan Province is a big tea planting city. Although coffee was planted in the 1980s and 1990s, it has been developing slowly. Before 2008, the entire coffee planting area in Pu'er City was only more than 100,000 mu. However, in the last three years, it has grown to more than 430000 mu, and even many farmers have cut down tea trees to grow coffee.

Studio 2.

When it comes to Pu'er City, many people will think of Pu'er tea, especially since 2005, more and more people have begun to understand Pu'er tea. For many years, Pu'er City in Yunnan Province has developed tea as a pillar industry, but now, in such a big tea growing city, why would someone cut down tea trees to grow coffee? What is the reason why the coffee planting area has grown from more than ten thousand mu to more than 430000 mu in a short period of three years?

[commentary] for many people in the tea industry in Pu'er City, Yunnan Province, 2008 was a nightmare. From 2007 to 2008, the entire local tea industry suffered from both ice and fire.

Tea dealer Shen Youcai: 2007 should be the craziest time, no matter whether you know Pu'er tea or not, have been attracted, a lot of money has been attracted to Pu'er tea, so many people make Pu'er tea.

Pu Jianhua, head of a tea factory in Jiangcheng County, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province: we sold only 20 yuan and 30 yuan of tea in 2006, and we can sell it for 100 yuan or more in 2007.

[commentary] since 2005, the Pu'er tea market has been bullish. Many outsiders began to invest money into the Pu'er tea market. The price of Pu'er tea has soared, and the tea industry of 20 to 30 yuan per kilogram has been fried to hundreds of yuan. At that time, many people's enthusiasm for tea planting and sales was unprecedented. In 2007, the tea industry in Pu'er City reached 1.184 million mu, with an output of 54700 tons. Nearly half of the tea raw materials are made of Pu'er tea, and the total output value of the tea industry reaches 3.26 billion yuan, a record high. However, the good times did not last long. Since the second half of 2007, the price of Pu'er tea has been falling all the way to the 2005 level.

Pu Jianhua, head of a tea factory in Jiangcheng County, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province: in the second half of 2007, we bought unsold tea, which dropped to 30 yuan and 20 yuan. in 2008, I only sold 4 yuan a kilogram of some tea in Simao City. The new leaf I bought is 12 yuan per kilogram. It takes 5 jin to produce a kilo. So the dry tea we sold lost 50 yuan and 60 yuan per kilogram. For example, our factory has not finished throwing it. We have 10 tons of 20 tons of tea, so we lose hundreds of thousands of yuan.

[commentary] Pu Jianhua's tea factory is just a microcosm of many loss-making tea factories. In 2008, the price of fresh tea that farmers just came down dropped from more than ten yuan per kilogram to two or three yuan per kilogram, and many tea farmers gave up picking tea to find another way to make a living.

Villagers of Zuowan Village, Nanping Town, Simao District, Pu'er City: the price of 3 yuan and 4 yuan per kilogram is unstable and they have gone to work outside.

[commentary] the total output value of the tea industry in Pu'er City dropped from 3.26 billion yuan in 2007 to 1.449 billion yuan in 2008. Pu Jianhua has his own 500 mu tea garden, which is a medium-sized tea factory in Pu'er City. When it comes to the operation in the past three years, he told reporters that it can only be described as "barely supporting".

Pu Jianhua, head of a tea factory in Jiangcheng County, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province: the cost of new leaves has also gone up. One leaf used to charge 5 yuan per kilogram. Now I have received 8 yuan per kilogram, and the price is processed at 8 yuan. The cost is more than double that of 2007 and 2008. Now a migrant worker costs 70 yuan and 80 yuan a day to double. Then the price of tea sold in 2007 and 2008 is about the same as the current price. Now it usually sells for about 40 yuan a kilo.

[commentary] in recent years, many tea factories are facing the same problems as Pu Jianhua. They try their best to raise the price of tea raw materials, hoping to increase the enthusiasm of tea farmers to ensure the supply of tea raw materials, but for most tea farmers, high-quality tea costs about 8 yuan per kilogram, which seems good, but the proportion of high-quality tea is too small.

Guozheng, Deputy Secretary General of the Tea Industry Association of Pu'er City, Yunnan Province: originally, the wage was low, but now you say that picking a kilogram of fresh leaves will double the original price, or even double the price. If you don't open it so high, there will be no one to do it for you. This is a big problem.

[explanation] the overall income of tea farmers does not go up, resulting in their enthusiasm for planting and management is not high. Zhou Yan, from Nandaohe Village, Simao District, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province, used to grow mainly tea, but also grew several acres of coffee. When the price of tea fell to a low ebb in 2008, she found that the price of coffee had been rising. Zhou Yan calculated an account for the reporter. The annual income of an acre of tea is only more than 1,000 yuan, while growing an acre of coffee usually earns 3,000 to 4,000 yuan, so she cut down all the tea trees in her family and planted coffee. now Zhou Yan's coffee garden has grown to more than 70 mu, and the annual income of light coffee cultivation is more than 400,000 yuan.

Zhou Yan, a villager from Nandaohe Village, Nanping Town, Simao District, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province: the old varieties are like the previous varieties of tea, but they have all changed to coffee.

[commentary] since 2008, the price of coffee has slowly risen from eight or nine yuan per kilogram to more than ten yuan per kilogram, and even exceeded 40 yuan per kilogram in 2011. Many people in Pu'er City have paid attention to growing coffee.

Zhang Shixiong, a villager from Dakaihe Village, Nanping Town, Simao District, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province: the income per mu has reached 4,000 to 5,000 yuan, and the best one has reached more than 1 ton and 2 tons, which can reach about 10,000 yuan.

Coffee grower Yan should: used to grow tea and now grow coffee, the benefit of that tea dry can not beat this coffee.

[commentary] Yunnan Province is one of the few areas suitable for growing coffee in our country. nowadays, the coffee market is popular, and many people from other provinces and cities are also optimistic about the market prospect of coffee and begin to invest a lot of money to build a garden.

Wang Tao, general manager of a coffee acquisition enterprise in Pu'er City, Yunnan Province: at present, there is no shortage of coffee in Pu'er City. As long as you have how much coffee you have, foreign buyers will buy it all.

Meng Qingjun, head of a coffee garden in Pu'er City, Yunnan Province: we have requisitioned 6800 mu of land to grow coffee, and at the same time, we want to build a listed company within 3 years.

[commentary] at present, the Pu'er Municipal Government of Yunnan Province has also formulated plans to turn coffee into a characteristic industry in Pu'er City, so as to further promote the development of the coffee industry.

Liu Biao, deputy director of the Office of Coffee Industry Development in Pu'er City, Yunnan Province: the Pu'er Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government have decided to allocate 20 million yuan every year to support the development of the coffee industry. This year, we will reach 600000 mu. During the 12th five-year Plan period, we will reach 1 million mu.

[commentary] in recent years, with the depression of the tea industry in Pu'er City, the price of coffee continues to rise, coupled with the promotion of the government, the coffee industry has grown from more than 100,000 mu to 439000 mu in a short period of three years. The local government's plan of 1 million mu in five years will make the coffee industry develop more rapidly in the days to come.

Studio 3.

The continuous rise in the price of coffee is in sharp contrast to the continuous decline in the price of Pu'er tea. under the price guidance, some farmers have cut down tea trees and planted coffee. In fact, the market price is changeable. If we change to grow coffee today, we may have to replant tea trees tomorrow. Coffee can be planted for three years before it can hang fruit. At that time, no one can predict how the market will be. Tea is a traditional pillar industry in Pu'er City, Yunnan Province. In the depressed market, how can we get out of the trough, and how to balance the tea and coffee industries?

[commentary] in the interview, the reporter learned that there are some tea farmers who are not affected by the market and do not blindly follow the trend, but have always adhered to quality-oriented. Dong Jiwen is the head of a tea factory in Simao District, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province. after years of experience in the tea ceremony, he found that the price of high-quality tea was always on the rise, so in 2008, when tea prices generally plummeted, he was determined to improve the tea garden and adopt an organic planting model to further improve the quality of tea. He even persuaded surrounding villagers to set up cooperatives to grow organic tea with him at a high price of 15 yuan per kilogram.

Dong Jiwen, chairman of a tea industry cooperative in Chunwang Village, Nanping Town, Simao District, Pu'er City: the goal at that time was to promote the tea garden area of the whole village and convert it into an organic tea garden.

Villagers of Zhuowan Village, Nanping Town, Simao District, Pu'er City: it used to be only a few thousand yuan a year, but now it is still tens of thousands of yuan a year.

Interviewer: how much can you pick on this day?

Villagers of Zhuowan Village, Nanping Town, Simao District, Pu'er City: 7 kg in the morning, 8 kg in the afternoon, 9 kg in the afternoon, more than 10 kg a day, 15 yuan a kilogram will get more than 100 yuan.

Liu Lun, deputy director of the Tea Bureau of Pu'er City, Yunnan Province: our tea should develop from the green and organic aspect, so the development goal of the tea industry is that the whole tea industry should reach more than 20 billion yuan in 2016, and the income of farmers should be more than 5 billion yuan.

[commentary] Jingmai Mountain is a famous ancient tea park in Pu'er City, Yunnan Province. Villager Yusu family has 60 mu of ancient tea garden. in recent years, she has always adhered to ecological management and paid attention to the improvement of tea quality, earning more than 300,000 yuan a year.

Yusu, villager of Jingmai Village, Lancang County, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province: my tea garden has 68 mu of ancient tea garden, ecological tea has more than 30 mu, a total of more than 100 mu, so our family income is more than 300,000 yuan.

Reporter: what is the average villager's income now?

Yusu, a villager of Jingmai Village, Lancang County, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province: generally, it is more than 100,000 yuan.

[explanation] at present, the tea industry in Pu'er City, Yunnan Province is still the local pillar industry, with more than 1.3 million mu of acreage and more than one million people involved. why are there still a small number of people making money when most people are not profitable? What enlightenment does the experience of tea industry bring to us?

Gu Shengzhang (Weibo) of the National people's Congress (NPC): the most important thing is to prevent hot money and hot money from hyping these products and causing their prices to fluctuate greatly. Then this will do great harm to agricultural and agricultural products (12.19 min 0.12rel 0.97%). Or the actual economy characterized by agriculture will do great harm, and we should avoid this phenomenon.

[commentary] in Pu'er City, Yunnan Province, the experience of the tea industry has reminded people engaged in the coffee industry. At present, the purchase price of coffee in Pu'er City is directly in line with the international market, trying to avoid malicious speculation.

Wu Te, head of Yunnan Pu'er Department of a coffee acquisition enterprise: our quotation is based on the futures market in New York in the United States. The futures market in New York in the United States uses Hongdura coffee as the basis, because the futures market is relatively volatile. So we quote the price twice a week, according to the international market price, so that farmers can keep up with the price in the international market.

Liu Biao, deputy director of the Office of Coffee Industry Development in Pu'er City, Yunnan Province: we usually look at the futures price in the United States, and then deduct some, say, 9-10 cents, as a local pricing, very transparent, it is impossible for a few bosses to spend a little money. Just hype the price of coffee.

[commentary] in connection with the international market, the price is transparent, which effectively reduces the adverse factors in the operation of the market, but at the same time, it also puts forward a higher requirement for coffee growers in terms of quality.

International senior coffee quality appraiser jeremywakefor: Pu'er coffee should be regarded as a medium coffee, with a relatively large planting quantity, but there are many defective beans due to improper processing and picking techniques. Such beans will lead to a great decline in the overall quality, but this situation can be improved, telling farmers how to improve the processing technology. By improving the quality of Yunnan coffee beans. Can get a big promotion.

[commentary] in some coffee purchasing enterprises, the reporter saw that they would make a sample evaluation and pricing for each coffee purchase batch, and the process was quite strict.

Luo Yucheng, buyer of a coffee company: if the quality is not up to the standard, the quality results will be fed back to the warehouse, and then we will load it into his car and pull it away immediately.

Wang Tao, general manager of a coffee acquisition enterprise in Pu'er City, Yunnan Province: we purchased more than 3000 tons in 2011, which could have been increased in terms of quantity, but we refused to accept nearly 50% because his quality could not meet the company's requirements.

[commentary] due to the rapid development, the management and quality of coffee cultivation become somewhat uneven, which will become the biggest hidden danger restricting the increase of farmers' income.

Zheng Fengtian, deputy dean of the Agricultural and Rural Development Research Institute of Renmin University of China: multinational corporations may give you a higher price, but higher quality requirements, and it is only a few, so when there is too much production, it is easy to be subject to these few acquirers. I think we should walk on more legs, especially when the local coffee planting area is large, the local government must introduce more processor acquirers. Otherwise, you are under the control of two enterprises, so that the farmers will lose a lot.

[commentary] the Pu'er Municipal Government of Yunnan Province does not encourage farmers to cut down tea trees and grow coffee. at present, they have made great efforts to rectify the tea industry, hoping that the two characteristic industries of tea and coffee can complement each other through efforts to ensure that farmers' income can eventually be increased.

Studio 4.

Yunnan Pu'er municipal government does not encourage farmers to cut down tea trees to grow coffee, tea is still the primary pillar industry to develop, while coffee as a characteristic auxiliary industry, the coordinated development of the two industries. During the interview, our reporter found that some farmers have also interplanted coffee in the tea garden, but they do not intend to cut down the tea. they think that it is safer to interplant two kinds of cash crops together, and here we hope that everyone will not blindly follow the trend under the temptation of short-term interests, but it is the farmers themselves who will suffer losses instead. (director: Liang Xinjian camera: Xu Zhibing)

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