© Helvetas / Patrick Rohr
Laos

Good Tea Fetches Good Prices

© Helvetas / Patrick Rohr

Tea farmers in northern Laos are pooling their forces to form tea producer groups with support from Helvetas. Government agricultural services are learning to respond better to the needs of tea producers. And tea factories are upgrading the tea quality, establishing fair contracts with tea producers and accessing markets with higher prices.

  • Project Name
    Supporting Tea Farmers and Processors
  • Project Phase
    2017 to 2020
  • Funding
    Donations, contributions, SDC programme contribution
  • Thematic focus
    Private Sector Development
    Gender & Social Equity
    Advocacy

This project was completed in 2020.

Where tea grows on trees

Actually Laotian shan tea deserves better than to be marketed as “Chinese green tea” in China. But that’s precisely what is still done today with the tea that grows on centuries-old trees in northern Laos. Nearly the entire crop is sold to Chinese merchants and often used merely to upgrade Chinese teas.

The Laotian tea farmers have played along so far. For one thing, because they did not know how to treat the leaves to realize the full aromatic potential of the tea. For another thing, because they live far away from the country’s political and economic centers In this Helvetas project, some 5,000 small farmers from twenty one villages in northern Laos are learning to pick and treat tea from their trees and bushes more carefully. This is the easier part of their entry into a new era. The hard part is breaking up old power structures and behavior patterns, including giving women more say in the decision making. Logical, because the majority of the tea producers are women. In order to speak with a single voice and pursue their interests jointly, they need to organize in the form of producer groups and village development committees. They need to establish the necessary contacts with local authorities as well as research institutes and educational institutions, financial institutions, merchants and civil society.

© Helvetas / Patrick Rohr
Tea farmer Sinchan Tung (front) and her sister-in-law Bouvan climb the trees to pick tea. © Helvetas / Patrick Rohr
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© Helvetas / Patrick Rohr
The leaves are gently processed by hand. © Helvetas / Patrick Rohr
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© Helvetas / Patrick Rohr
For drying, the tea is brought outdoors. © Helvetas / Patrick Rohr
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© Helvetas / Patrick Rohr
The Teekooperative sells the rare tea of the old tea trees in new, attractive packaging in cigar form. © Helvetas / Patrick Rohr
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© Helvetas / Patrick Rohr
The Teekooperative sells the rare tea of the old tea trees in new, attractive packaging in cigar form. © Helvetas / Patrick Rohr
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© Helvetas / Patrick Rohr
The Teekooperative sells the rare tea of the old tea trees in new, attractive packaging in cigar form. © Helvetas / Patrick Rohr
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© Helvetas / Patrick Rohr
The tea is dried and then packed. © Helvetas / Patrick Rohr
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© Helvetas / Patrick Rohr
The tea is dried and then packed. © Helvetas / Patrick Rohr
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© Helvetas / Patrick Rohr
The tea is packaged in cigar form. © Helvetas / Patrick Rohr
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So the Laotian tea farmers are learning that, too, in this project. Through their organizations they gain access to agricultural services, organic tea certification, and financial services. In addition, we help them and the Tea Processors to sell their produce in domestic and international markets for good prices.

Like the farmers, government officials also receive training to do their jobs more effectively. They learn to implement their own development strategies, in which tea figures prominently along with crops like cardamom, coffee and rubber.

© All Rights Reserved HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation and Patrick Rohr
«They say tea is good for your health. It does us good at any rate: we can make a living on it.»

Sinchan Tung, tea farmer, Laos

Private Sector Development

Youth need access to reliable, fairly paid jobs to break the cycle of poverty. Helvetas creates partnerships and promotes policies that build more inclusive economies.

How Helvetas Supports People in Laos

Helvetas advocates in Laos for environmentally sound agriculture and for social justice. We also provide support for victims of domestic violence.