Minister urges to produce value-added tealeaf wine
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NP News – Aug 17
The Union Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, Min Naung, urged the stakeholders to produce value-added tealeaf products including tealeaf wine.
He addressed it during the workshop held on August 16 in Naypyidaw.
Tealeaf was grown in Myanmar as a national project since 1991-92. Short term projects were five-year plans. As of 2020-21 FY, there has been a total of 2.39 lakhs acres of tealeaf cultivation have been grown in Myanmar.
In 2021-22 FY, 2.4 lakhs of acres of tealeaf cultivation were extended grown with 275 viss of tealeaf were produced per acre in average where it was 230 viss of tealeaf were produced per acre primarily, according to the minister.
However, it’s still much lower in productivity when comparing with the international market although domestic tealeaf productivity is increasing.
Therefore, the minister also urge to collaborate between Myanmar Tea Association and the relevant ministries to increase productivity with various approaches including sophisticated agricultural systems, using input factors, preventing insects and using technology.
Value-added products like green tealeaf, dried leaf, tea and wine should also be formulated, the minister urged.
In Myanmar, tealeaf is commercially grown Shan State, Magway and Sagaing regions.
As per statistics of the 2020-21 FY, approximately 69 million viss of tealeaf was produced and 2.5 million USD was generated from exporting tealeaf in 2021.