The tea industry, one of the pillars of the local economy in Ya'an city in Southwest China's Sichuan province that was hit by a 7-magnitude earthquake on Saturday, was seriously affected by the disaster, farmers and companies said.
Ya'an produced about 66,000 metric tons of tea last year. But as farmers were preparing this year's new spring tea, the city was hit by the quake.
"On top of losses from a drought a few months ago, we expect much less production this year," said a local official quoted by Chinese media.
The local tea industry association said it is still in the process of assessing losses caused by the earthquake, but it has received reports that a number of tea processing factories and workshops have been damaged.
Five years ago, the city lost more than 4 million yuan ($625,000) from the massive Wenchuan quake in the province. Workshops in more than 100 tea factories collapsed and more than 6667 hectares of tea farms were damaged during that earthquake.
Related Reading:
Chinese Premier: Rescue every person
Premier Li Keqiang gives light of hope and confidence to quake victims as he leads rescue work, comforts survivors and asks for every home to be checked.
Central government requires orderly quake rescue
The State Council General Office has urged relevant authorities and rescue forces to carry out the quake relief work in an orderly manner.
Red Cross to be open, transparent
Society promises to publicize information and strengthen social communication.
Market unlikely to be affected by SW China quake
The stock market is not likely to slump on Monday because of Saturday's magnitude-7 earthquake in Ya'an, Sichuan province.
Teenager saves mom with his bare hands
Feedback
RSS
