Plantation offers local people jobs and training, helping to increase earnings
Compassionate people can pay 4,900 yuan ($771) for one year's property rights for 0.07 hectares of a tea plantation in Danzhai, Southwest China's Guizhou province as part of a project that aims to help at least 1,000 impoverished families.
The Danzhai Poverty Alleviation Tea Garden is a new poverty alleviation project launched by Danzhai Wanda Town and Danzhai Landscape Heritage Tea Culture Co Ltd of Guizhou, with the support of Danzhai's Party committee and the government.
Participants can visit the tea plantation to experience picking tea and receive 5 kg each of Danzhai green tea and Danzhai black tea, worth 14,000 yuan, as a reward.
According to the plan, people under the poverty line will receive 1,750 yuan a year from the tea plantation, which includes 450 yuan for transferring land use rights and 1,300 yuan as payment for working on the plantation.
In 2018, the national poverty line is 3,300 yuan a year, and the average annual income in Danzhai is 2,600 yuan. Those who receive the subsidy income from the project will be lifted out of poverty, said Li Bai, deputy county head of Danzhai.
Liu Dianxing, manager of Danzhai Landscape Heritage Tea Culture Co Ltd of Guizhou, said that the establishment of a 67-hectare tea plantation will provide jobs for local tea farmers.
Members of the public have purchased nearly 40 hectares since the project was launched on April 21, and most of the purchasers are from the Wanda group, Liu said.
According to Liu, the plantation employs more than 100 workers, all of whom were living under the poverty line, who get at least 100 yuan for one day's work in the peak season.
We are not only providing jobs, but also training. I hope all the people can become skilled workers, Liu said.
Wu Jiafeng, a saleswoman for the company who used to have no regular employment, said: "I received good training before starting my job, now I can introduce the tea to clients full of confidence thanks to the training."
Wu said her income has doubled, raising her family's standard of living.
Wang Limei, a tea-selection worker, said she is able to evaluate the different levels of tea quality. "In the past, I used to work on the land all year and had no savings. However, I can now earn up to 3,000 yuan a month and be trained as a skilled worker here."
Wang said her family has two mu (0.13 hectare) and she plans to master the whole tea-making process and start her own business.
In 2014, Wanda decided to help lift the people of Danzhai out of poverty following the model of "one enterprise responsible for an entire county's poverty alleviation".
Dong Xianwu in Guizhou contributed to the story.
yangjun@chinadaily.com.cn
(China Daily 05/17/2018 page18)
