Tea gardens across Guiyang City and Gui'an New Area have been in harvest since late February, with this year's first spring tea batch picked about 20 days earlier than usual, marking an energetic start to the region's spring agricultural activities and a strong first-quarter performance for the tea industry.

Among the key players is Guizhou Meishiqi Selenium-Rich Tea Co in Kaiyang county, which manages over 500 mu (33.33 hectares) of ecological tea plantations and drives the development of nearly 3,000 mu of tea gardens across Nanlong township.

Farmers pick tea leaves at a tea garden in Guiyang. [Photo/Guiyang news network]

Through land transfers, the company has achieved large-scale, standardized planting. It processes and produces a range of teas, including black, green, and oolong, operating on an order-based production model with its products sold in markets across Fujian, Zhejiang, Guangdong, and Shandong provinces.

Kaiyang's tea plantation area reached 68,600 mu by the beginning of this year. In the first quarter, the county's spring tea output is projected to increase by more than 5 percent compared to last year, with an estimated production value of approximately 156 million yuan. Total annual output is expected to exceed 3,000 metric tons, demonstrating robust industrial growth.

In recent years, Guiyang and Gui'an have prioritized the tea industry as a distinctive and advantageous sector, improving its scale, standardization, and branding, with the tea-harvesting area reaching 145,400 mu in 2025 and annual output exceeding 6,600 tons. The region now hosts 148 tea production entities, has established 100 standardized tea gardens, and is developing a diversified and coordinated industrial structure.

Farmers pick tea leaves at a tea garden in Guiyang. [Photo/Guiyang news network]