International tea day

According to the United Nations, International Tea Day is celebrated every May 21. The relevant resolution was adopted on December 21, 2019, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) was called on to lead the implementation of the Day.

The first International Tea Day was celebrated in New Delhi on December 15, 2005, in Tea producing countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Uganda and Tanzania. International Tea Day aims to draw global attention from governments and citizens to the impact of the worldwide tea trade on workers and growers. It is linked to requests for support, such as fair prices and trade.

In 2015, the Indian government proposed to expand the celebration of International Tea Day through the FAO Intergovernmental Group on Tea (IGG on Tea).

FAO’s Tea IGG led multilateral efforts to support the world tea economy and was a significant supporter of the declaration of International Tea Day. In 2015, during a meeting in Milan, Italy, IGG on Tea discussed the idea of an International Tea Day. The proposal was subsequently endorsed by the FAO Committee on Commodity Affairs (CCP) and subsequently adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2019.

History of International Tea Day

The International Tea Day campaign was launched in 2005 by unions, small tea growers, and civil society organizations in Asia and Africa to address workers’ living wages. And reasonable prices for small tea producers.

The International Tea Conference in New Delhi issued the International Declaration of the Rights of Workers and Small Growers to help regulate unfair competition, land ownership, safety regulations of women, social security, and a living wage. Another organization, the Tea Council of India, has proposed International Tea Day in the hope that it will become an official holiday of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

This was proposed by Chairman Santosh Kumar Sarangi in 2015. According to the Chairman, India’s proposal was accepted by countries such as Canada, the USA, the European Union, Sri Lanka, China, Japan, Kenya, Malawi, and Vietnam. Although the holiday has no official status, its objective is to recognize tea producers’ vulnerable situations in India, given the workers’ current living conditions and related policies.

On the Day, they also discussed urgent issues such as residues, climate change, technology, and production and consumption trends in the tea industry. To commemorate the Day, more than 150 representatives from tea organizations gathered and conducted a seminar to discuss common problems faced by the tea industry and difficulties encountered in the country. Their.

Why drink Tea?

Tea is a beverage made from the Camellia Sinensis plant. Tea is the most consumed beverage in the world, after water. It is believed that Tea originated in northeastern India, northern Myanmar, southwestern China, and Vietnam, but it is not known exactly where the plant was first grown. Tea has been with us for a long time. There is evidence that Tea was consumed 5,000 years ago.

Tea production and processing are the primary sources of livelihood for millions of families in developing countries. They are the primary sources of livelihood for millions of low-income families living in some of the least developed countries.

The tea industry is a significant source of income and export revenue for some of the poorest countries. It is a labor-intensive industry that provides employment, especially in remote and economically disadvantaged areas. Tea can play an essential role in rural development, poverty reduction, and food security in developing countries, and it is one of the most important crops.

Consuming Tea may provide health and wellness benefits thanks to the beverage’s anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and weight loss effects. It also has cultural significance in many societies.

Purpose of International Tea Day:

– Raise awareness about the long history of Tea and the profound economic and cultural implications of Tea around the world.

– Promote sustainable tea production and consumption and raise awareness of its importance in fighting poverty.

– Evaluation of the positive impact of Tea growing on climate change.

– Furthermore, there is an urgent need to raise public awareness about the importance of Tea for rural development and sustainable livelihoods while improving the tea value chain to contribute to the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development.

Tea and climate change

Tea production is susceptible to changes in growing conditions. Tea can only be produced under clearly defined agroecological conditions and, therefore, in a minimal number of countries, many of which will be severely affected by climate change.

Changes in temperature and rainfall patterns, along with more floods and droughts, affect the productivity, quality, and prices of tea products, reducing incomes and threatening rural livelihoods. These climate changes are expected to intensify, requiring urgent adaptation measures. In parallel, there is growing recognition of the need to contribute to climate change mitigation by reducing carbon emissions from tea production and processing.

Therefore, tea-producing countries should integrate climate change challenges in terms of adaptation and mitigation into their national tea development strategies.

What activities should tea growers, producers, businesspeople, and individuals who consume Tea every Day do on this holiday?

Let’s exchange a packet of Tea. This is a beautiful and meaningful action on this Day. Giving each other a packet of Tea means giving each other health and joy. Each tea package given away will promote the production and consumption of Tea while supporting farmers in tea regions across the country in improving their lives.

Sit down and enjoy cups of Tea with intense home flavors. Don’t be in such a hurry anymore; give yourself time to enjoy a cup of Tea and find yourself and your soulmate.

Come and meet people in the tea gardens. Come to understand and share the difficulties of those who have spent their entire lives for many generations with the tea tree. We will clearly understand the journey of tea leaves from tea gardens on high hills or deep mountains through a long way to be on each of our tea tables, a journey with all five elements: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth so that each cup of Tea has enough Sun and Moon.

Vietnam is proud to have the most ancient tea forests in the world and has preserved a unique style of drinking fresh Tea for thousands of years. The custom of drinking tea has been around for many generations and is a beauty in life and culture. Each of us should preserve, develop, and beautify Vietnamese Tea culture.

On the occasion of International Tea Day, May 21 this year, all communities should join hands with the Vietnamese tea industry to develop sustainably so that Vietnamese Tea can increasingly reach out to the world in terms of quantity and quality.

TH.