Practical, effective and practical

outline：The New Energy Development Department of the Xishuangbanna Petrochemical Group Conducts a Comprehensive Survey of Tea-Processing Materials Used by Tea-Producing Enterprises

To effectively protect Xishuangbanna Prefecture’s forest resources and strengthen the implementation of the “Liquefied Petroleum Gas as a Substitute for Firewood” project, the New Energy Development Department of the Xishuangbanna Petrochemical Group once again organized its staff, starting on September 10, to conduct a comprehensive survey of tea-processing materials used by large, medium, and small tea enterprises across all townships and towns in Jinghong City. The purpose of this survey is to ensure the effective implementation of the “Liquefied Petroleum Gas as a Substitute for Firewood” project.

Traditional firewood-fired tea-firing workshop

This census was conducted in three teams, which carried out a survey of tea-processing enterprises’ raw-material usage in eight townships and towns, including Jinuo Township, Dadugang Township, and Jingne Township in Jinghong City. The survey results revealed stark contrasts: traditional firewood-fired withering-and-fixing tea-processing enterprises commonly exhibited high fuel consumption, haphazard fuel storage, substandard hygiene in processing facilities, and environmentally unfriendly practices.

Firewood is stacked haphazardly.

Enterprises that use liquefied petroleum gas instead of firewood for the kill-green process in tea production enjoy lower fuel consumption, neatly arranged equipment, and clean, hygienic processing facilities. During a survey of Xishuangbanna Mutong Chan Tea Industry Co., Ltd., the company’s general manager, Bai Tingwen, remarked: “Using liquefied gas for tea production offers two major advantages. First, it enhances the quality, aroma, and consistency of the tea. Second, it reduces production costs: if firewood is used for sun-drying, the fuel cost per kilogram of tea is about 2 to 3 yuan, whereas with liquefied gas, the cost drops to only 1.2 or 1.3 yuan.”

The tea-processing plant of Mutong Chan Tea Co., Ltd.

As of July 2017, the entire prefecture had cumulatively invested a total of RMB 14.275 million, installed and put into use 9,989 household withering furnaces and 488 drum-type withering machines, and seen tea-producing households and enterprises consume 2,251 tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas, equivalent to 45,020 cubic meters of firewood.

On-site census conducted by staff of the New Energy Development Department

The findings of this census fully underscore the importance of replacing firewood with liquefied petroleum gas in tea production. The widespread adoption of this initiative has accelerated the development of clean energy in rural areas and advanced the implementation of the “ecological development” strategy for the prefecture. By promoting the substitution of gas for firewood, rural ecological conditions have improved, farmers’ quality of life has been enhanced, and a path of civilized development has been forged—one that fosters mutual benefit through the synergistic interaction of ecological conservation and economic growth.