The launch ceremony for the FAO One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) China Tea Programme & 2024 International Tea Day Campaign in China was held in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, on Apr. 12. Dong Le, Programme Officer of the FAO Representation Office in China, and Ma Hongtao, Director-General of the Agricultural Trade Promotion Center (ATPC) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), kicked off the event. Zhang Ye, Secretary of the CPC National Agro-Tech Extension and Service Center (NATESC) of the MARA Committee, presided over the event.  

FAO launched the Global Action on Green Development of Special Agricultural Products: OCOP in order to implement the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and build more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agri-food systems. The OCOP China Tea Programme prioritizes eco-friendly and low-carbon development, focuses on the value chain, and promotes technology integration, the establishment of bases for tea, product certification, market development, and international exchange in an integrated manner. It aims to develop new quality production forces, propel green and low-carbon transformation and development of the tea industry, and introduce more high-quality Chinese tea to the world. The programme will be jointly implemented by ATPC and NATESC of MARA, with the Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (TRI–CAAS) as the main technical support unit.  

The China Tea Industry Alliance set up a dedicated exhibition area for eco-friendly and low-carbon tea as part of the launch event. The area showcased a large number of eco-friendly and low-carbon tea, as well as certified organic tea. It also effectively demonstrated the achievements in green development of China’s tea industry, and increased the visibility of eco-friendly and low-carbon tea. This area was well received by the audience, a highlight of the day’s event.   

During the launch event, Ruan Jianyun, Deputy Director-General of TRI–CAAS, and Leng Yang, Deputy Director of the Horticulture Division of NATESC, introduced eco-friendly and low-carbon tea and provided information about the OCOP China Tea Programme.