Yichang tea exports reach nearly US$12M in H1

By Yan Wanqin.

Yichang exported 4,705 tons of tea worth 79.53 million yuan (US$11.8 million) in the first half of this year, reaching 25 overseas markets.

Despite rising freight costs and exchange rate fluctuations, tea companies in the city have maintained steady export growth by improving quality standards and expanding their product offerings, with high-value-added products accounting for a significantly larger share of exports.
 

At Yichang Tea Group, one of the city's leading tea producers, the share of high-value-added products in its export mix has risen by nearly 40 percent from a year ago, while exports to Europe have doubled. Its Yivana brand now accounts for a growing share of exports, with average prices well above those of bulk tea, according to Xiang Qinghua, general manager of the group's Xiaoshi Tea Industry.

To ensure the quality of its raw materials, the company has established more than 2,000 mu (133 hectares) of new export-oriented tea bases in Yichang's Yiling District and Zigui County. The bases use integrated pest management and grow tea in accordance with European Union standards. A traceability system covers the entire supply chain, from cultivation to final delivery, helping the company maintain a record of zero customer complaints.

The expansion of summer and autumn tea purchases has also benefited local farmers. The initiative has generated orders for over 70 small and medium-sized tea processing plants and involved more than 1,200 farming households, with each household earning an additional 1,000 yuan on average.

Beyond traditional tea products, Chamagudao Company is turning to matcha to generate higher returns. The company has launched a digital matcha production line in its new 900-square-meter workshop. The fully automated facility can process fresh tea leaves into finished matcha within one hour and has a daily processing capacity of 7,500 kg of fresh leaves.
 

Since early May, the company has produced approximately 100 tons of matcha, generating over 15 million yuan in output value. The same volume of raw tea processed using conventional methods would generate only 5 to 6 million yuan, according to general manager Zhou Fanghong.

The company has established 1,200 mu of matcha-growing bases that meet EU standards and signed purchase agreements with China Tea Co., Ltd. and Jiuyu Organic Food Co., Ltd. Its products meet EU standards and are exported to the European Union and Japan.

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