As one of China's first national eco-civilization pilot zones, Guizhou's healthy natural environment means it has some of the highest quality tea in China, said Sun Zhigang, Guizhou deputy to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), on March 6.
Guizhou has the largest tea planting area of any province in China. To balance environmental protection with economic development, Guizhou has increased the number of pesticides banned for use in tea plantations to 118 (based on European Union and Japanese standards), which is much more than the 58 stipulated by the Chinese government.
The qualifying rate of Guizhou tea has stayed at 100 percent for five years, according to the routine monitoring results of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
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| A tea garden in Guizhou. [Photo/gog.cn] |
With most of China's quality and safety demonstration areas meant for tea exports, Guizhou has managed to attract various international tea purchasers with strict requirements for tea quality, such as Unilever and Swire Group.
To control tea quality from the beginning of its production process, Guizhou established special pesticide stores for tea gardens in 40 high-producing counties that sell low-residual organic fertilizer.
Its low latitude, high altitude, limited sunshine, and cloudy weather make Guizhou one of the best areas in China for tea planting. Guizhou's tea is known for being green, safe, and healthy thanks to the low use of pesticides and fertilizers and soil rich in selenium, zinc, and strontium.
Thus far, 5.87 million mu (391,300 hectares), 110,000 mu, and 308,000 mu of tea gardens in Guizhou have been recognized as pollution-free, green, and organic, respectively. Guizhou also has 25 products with China Geographical Indications.
