Growing tea industry helps Guizhou combat poverty

Meitan county in Zunyi city, Southwest China's Guizhou province, is a mountainous inland county that used to suffer from weak industrial infrastructure.

In recent years, though, as a result of the industrial layout being scientifically planned, Meitan has found a new way to shake off poverty and increase income. In 2019, rural residents' per capita disposable income in the county reached 14,726 yuan ($2,196.61).

Known for its tea plantations, Meitan has established a working team to support tea exports through favorable policies and help companies to export teas overseas.

This year, the county has added 15 tea export trade companies and achieved 7.8 million yuan of tea export value by the end of August.

At the same time, Meitan is integrating tea with e-commerce, the creative industry and tourism to develop the service industry. In 2019, the county saw 6.26 million visits and achieved tourism revenue of 5.36 billion yuan ($799.92 million).

Also, Meitan had 600,000 mu (40,000 hectares) of ecological tea gardens last year, with an output volume of 72,500 metric tons and a value of 13.95 billion yuan.

The county's economic development zone is focused on tea processing and had a gross industrial output value of 2.8 billion yuan last year, providing jobs to over 6,300 people.

Meitan also had 566 tea processing companies by the end of 2019, with the tea industry contributing over 50 percent of the county's per capita disposable income for rural residents.