From January to May, Sichuan exported 1,349 tons of tea, a year-on-year increase of 271.95%, according to sources from Sichuan Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

　　Statistics show that the main export destinations were Uzbekistan, Cote d'Ivoire, Morocco and so on. By types, Emei Mountain tea, Mengding Mountain tea, Micang Mountain tea and Yibin early tea dominated the exports. Nevertheless, a head of Sichuan Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said, at present the tea exported is still dominated by low-end products, with only about 10% of gross margin.

　　A survey shows that the price advantage brought by the decrease of harvest cost was the main factor for the increase of Sichuan’s tea export. Affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, local tea production areas experienced labor shortages of varying degrees. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Sichuan began widely promoting mechanized tea-picking. During the spring tea harvest this year, the harvest rate in the province increased by 10% compared with previous years. And the cost of mechanical harvest, compared to the manual harvest, declined by 70% or so.

　　This year, the output of primary tea in Sichuan reached up to 199,000 tons, creating an output value of RMB 21.878 billion.