Farmers busy harvesting tea seeds

Farmers are now busy harvesting tea seeds in the tea oil forest of Pingba Town, Guzhang County, Xiangxi Prefecture.

“We pick tea seeds according to their varieties and the altitudes of the planting bases in Pingba Village, and there are Cold Dew seeds and Frost’s Descent seeds. Currently, we are picking Cold Dew seeds,” said an official of Pingba Town. Tea oil trees, evergreen shrubs of the Camellia genus in the theaceae family, prefer warm and humid climates and have low requirements for soil. They begin to branch, flower, and bear fruits in large numbers after 5 to 8 years of growth.

After that, they can yield fruits for a long time with regular management. Tea seeds can be pressed into tea oil with rich aroma and nutrition. In addition, the shells of tea seeds can also be made into tea seed powder. “I have planted about ten mu (about 0.67 hectares) of tea oil trees, with the tea oil sold at a price of 120 yuan per kilogram,” said a villager.

At present, Pingba Town has 24,000 mu (1,600 hectares) of tea oil trees, with an annual output of about 275,000 kilograms of tea oil and an annual output value of up to 33 million yuan, making it one of the pillar industries that help villagers increase income.


Chinese source: hunantoday