The Yunnan provincial government will develop its tea industry
and promote its comparative advantages as part of the 10th Five-Year
Plan period (2001-05).
The government
plans to host an inaugural international tea fair to attract
investment and expertise to the industry.
The fair will be
held in Kunming, capital of the province, in April.
The province will
also invest 6 million yuan (US$725,000) a year in chemical-free
tea culture. A 1,300-hectare demonstration zone will be established.
Another 3 million
yuan (US$363,000) will be used to promote famous brands.
In total, 12 counties
will benefit from the investment.
To date, business
people representing more than 300 companies and organizations
from India and the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative
regions and Taiwan as well as China's other major tea producing
provinces, such as Fujian, Zhejiang, Sichuan and Guizhou,
have applied to participate in the fair.
Expectations for
business opportunities are running high for the province,
which has comparative advantages in tea production.
Surveys have found
that due to favorable geographical conditions, especially
climate, tea can be harvested there one month earlier than
in other provinces.
The residue of
chemicals and pesticides in tea produced in the province is
low enough to meet European Union's standards for imports.
(China Daily 03/12/2001)
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