The tea seeds have ripened, with plump fruit hanging from the branches. Villagers are busy picking and drying the tea seeds in the good weather. 

 

They pluck the tea seeds and place them in plastic buckets. It doesn’t take long to fill a bucket. After picking, the tea seeds need to air dry for about ten days until the outer shells crack and the seeds naturally separate from them, allowing them to proceed to the next step of pressing.

 

 

“The oil tea base began to develop in 2008 and the tea trees started bearing fruit in 2014. In the past two years, there has been a significant difference in income. Last year, about 20,000 catties of tea seeds were pressed into finished oil, selling for 160-200 yuan per kilogram. 

 

Due to last year’s drought, this year’s harvest is estimated to be even smaller. In recent days, more than 80 people have been picking tea seeds, all from the village and nearby villages. They can be paid 80 to 150 yuan a day,” said Yang Xiaolian, head of Shengshi Agricultural Development Company.

 

 

In recent years, Shengshi Agricultural has become a leading enterprise in agricultural planting in Dajing Village. 

 

In addition to the nearby oil tea base, they also cultivate over 1,000 mu (about 66.67 hectares) of navel oranges, providing employment opportunities for more than 100 rural residents and leading the villagers toward prosperity.