Turning guava buds into tea - a new direction for Thanh Ha farmers

Enhance the value of guava trees

Thanh Ha guava is grown in many communes such as Lien Mac, An Phuong, Thanh Xuan, and Tan Viet. Normally, guava is grown for its fruit to be sold all year round. However, recently, when it was discovered that guava leaves and buds also have many effects on human health, many farmers have purchased guava buds to dry and process into tea, contributing to diversifying products from guava trees.

Processing guava bud tea also opens up a new direction, helping to increase the economic value of guava trees and create a sustainable source of income for local farmers.

Ms. Bui Thi Hoi in Lien Mac commune said that for more than 30 years of growing guava, her family mainly harvested the fruit to sell, but in the past 2 years, some guava bud tea production and processing facilities in the commune and people from other places came to buy, so her family focused on taking care of the guava trees more than before so that they could harvest both buds and fruit. If before, they only earned 8 million VND/sao/year from guava, now both buds and fruit can yield 10 million VND/sao/year.

With more than 3 sao of guava, harvesting young leaves and guava buds has become a joy for Mrs. Vu Thi Thom in An Phuong commune for many months now. During the time when the guava fruits are still small and not yet harvested, she often visits the fields to pick buds to sell, sometimes she can get a dozen kilos, sometimes 20 kilos to sell to traders who come to buy directly from the garden. "If you work hard, you will always have money coming in," Mrs. Thom happily said.

To be able to harvest guava buds and fruits, after each time picking fruit, guava growers fertilize the tree to sprout and grow new leaves, especially without using pesticides, and following the VietGAP process to ensure safety for users.

The process of producing guava bud tea is not too complicated but requires meticulousness. After harvesting, guava buds will be cleaned, naturally dried and then processed by hand to preserve the medicinal properties. Guava bud tea not only has a mild aroma but also contains many nutrients that are beneficial to health. Guava bud tea has the effect of supporting digestion, reducing bad cholesterol and purifying the body, so it is increasingly welcomed by the market.

With a large raw material area, Thanh Ha farmers not only supply guava buds to processing facilities in the district but also attract many traders from other places to purchase.

Sustainable Development

Exploiting guava buds to make tea not only helps farmers diversify their products but also reduces the waste of agricultural resources. Ms. Le Thi Lieu in Thanh Lang commune, who specializes in purchasing guava buds in Thanh Ha, said: "Previously, guava buds had almost no value, but since people started making tea, we have had an additional source of income from collecting and supplying fresh guava buds. The selling price of guava buds is not as high as that of guava fruit, but it is more stable and helps people maximize the value of the tree."

Ms. Luong Thi Cuc, representative of Nam Vu Clean Agriculture Cooperative (Thanh Ha) said that with the abundant potential of the fertile guava region, the production and processing of guava leaves and guava buds into tea is very favorable. On average, the cooperative supplies thousands of boxes of tea to the market each month. To ensure food hygiene and safety, the cooperative has invested billions of VND to purchase equipment, machinery, and build a brand for guava bud tea. "Up to now, the cooperative's guava bud tea has met the 3-star OCOP standard and is being consumed well in some supermarkets and retailers," Ms. Cuc said.

Currently in Thanh Ha there are a number of guava tea production facilities, Lien Mac commune alone has 3 facilities. This is also the place with the largest guava area in Thanh Ha district with about 500 hectares.

Mr. Pham Van Canh, Chairman of Lien Mac Commune People's Committee, said that modern consumption trends are shifting to products of natural origin, without preservatives. Guava bud tea fully meets these criteria and is being interested in by many private businesses and producers, even many enterprises to bring into the supermarket system and export. The income of people in the commune is gradually increasing thanks to the additional income from guava buds.

According to Mr. Canh, with their creativity and acumen, farmers here not only make the most of the potential of traditional crops but also contribute to the sustainable development of guava trees. However, the locality encourages people not to expand production facilities massively but to link up for better production and consumption, in which ensuring food hygiene and safety is a top priority.