HÀ NỘI — Construction of a tea processing plant began in Mường Khương Commune, Lào Cai Province, on Tuesday, as part of a project to link tea production, processing and exports in the border communes of Mường Khương and Pha Long.

The groundbreaking ceremony was jointly held by the Mường Khương Commune People’s Committee and the Mường Khương Tea Cooperative, the project’s investor.

The plant will be built in Na Đẩy Village on an area of approximately 16,462sq.m., with total investment of nearly VNĐ14 billion (US$535,000).

Designed to process 4,500 tonnes of fresh tea leaves annually, equivalent to around 900 tonnes of dried tea, the plant will produce packaged dried tea for domestic and export markets. It will be equipped with new machinery for processing, including rolling, drying, shaping and packaging.

Construction is scheduled to run from the fourth quarter of this year through the first quarter of 2027, with trial operations and tea processing expected to begin in the second quarter of next year.

Speaking at the ceremony, Phạm Đức Trung, vice chairman of the Mường Khương Commune People’s Committee, said tea has long been a key crop and an important source of income for local households. The commune has more than 1,862ha of tea, including around 1,452ha in production and 403ha of young tea plantations not yet in production. Tea output reached approximately 12,052 tonnes last year, generating VNĐ76.4 billion in revenue.

Local authorities are working to develop VietGAP certified tea-growing areas, strengthen traceability and gradually move toward organic production.

The new plant is expected to create a stable outlet for fresh tea leaves, strengthen links among farmers, cooperatives, processors and markets, and add value to Mường Khương tea products. It is also expected to support the development of the local tea industry toward sustainable, commercial-scale production linked to export markets. — VNS