ຊາປ່າ / Wild Tea

Production opportunity:
• Lao PDR has suitable soil and climate for tea growing. It also has both wild and ancient tea resources. Tea is able to grow at high altitudes and in soil with low pH (4.5–5.5) that is not suitable for other crops.
• In some areas, there is local knowledge about the techniques used for processing tea by hand. It may also be possible to improve the processing and make diverse tea products. If the processing technique could be improved, the quality of maocha and green tea produced will be better and the farmers’ income increased. It has been estimated that the production of maocha can add value at 50% if the quality of processing is improved.
• Lao PDR may be able to access assistance for human resource development from neighboring countries, such as China and Vietnam, to improve the effectiveness of production.
• The success of the Lao PDR experience in the coffee sector is a good lesson that could be replicated.
• Many areas have some experience in tea production and such lessons can be applied.
• At the current time, many development projects are interested and have provided extension support for conserving and producing tea for commercial development.
Marketing opportunities: 
• The speciality tea market is of interest to Lao PDR because it is a new source of tea production, and it is an organic and natural product. Green tea and red tea export to China is the biggest market and there is high demand for regular quantities of tea.
• Demand through the internal market has increased and includes a wide range of tea products. The internal market has capacity to expand and has potential to reap a high percentage of benefit.
• Some red tea from Lao PDR has the potential to fetch a high price through export to, for example, Japan and to tea markets in Western countries that have been exported to in the past.
Livelihood improvement opportunity: 
Tea grows well at high altitudes and is well suited to providing a cash crop for ethnic minority communities such as Khmu, Hmong, Akha, Pray, and Thai Deng who live in remote mountainous areas. Woman play an important role in planting, harvesting, processing and selling tea products. NAFRI (2011)  reported that although the role of women in tea-processing factories had decreased, about 80% of the work to produce tea at small scale was carried out by women. Tea provided an alternative crop to opium in Phongsaly Province and changed the slash and burn cultivation practice into permanent tea plantations. 
Income from collection of natural tea varies according to area, and depends on the quality and quantity harvested. The harvesting of natural wild tea in rural and inaccessible areas still has high potential for poverty alleviation. It is estimated that in the whole country there are potentially about 8500 households who could earn income from collection of wild tea.