Investigation of current situation of tea (Camellia sinensis L.) cultivation, harvest and post-harvest processes in Pazar district of Rize province

This study aims to examine the current state of tea cultivation in the Pazar district of Rize province. In the study, general information, harvest data, cultivation practices, and transportation-related questions were directed to 200 tea producers at 80 tea purchasing points across 21 villages in Pazar district in 2023 and 2024. The collected data were processed into surveys, and the results were analyzed and presented in tables and graphs. Identifying the problems encountered from cultivation to the processing stage of the raw material and proposing solutions will enhance the quality of tea production. This survey is the first detailed study conducted at the scale of a tea factory representing the Pazar district. Among the participants, 89% were over the age of 30, while only 11% were young people aged 18-29. Of the participants, 66% were male, while 34% were female, indicating that women did not sufficiently participate in discussions about tea purchasing points. It was found that 25% of the participants' tea gardens had reached the end of their economic life, and 23% were nearing the end. While 78% of the participants had a positive view of pruning, 96.5% reported actually performing the pruning. Additionally, 90% of the producers stated that they did not cultivate other products in their tea gardens. The average annual harvest duration was determined to be 34 days (33.54 days). 85% of the participants reported that their tea garden was owned by them, while 15% were engaged in wage labor and/or sharecropping. 90.5% of the participants indicated that they did not harvest green or white tea. It was found that 69% of the participants harvested between 3-15 tons of tea annually, and 20% harvested over 15 tons. 65% of the participants harvested their tea with their families without paying any labor costs. While 60% of the participants used tea scissors for harvesting, 38.5% used electric shears. Participants delivered 70.38% of the harvested tea to ÇAYKUR, 24.90% to the private sector, and 4.73% to mobile scales (for cash payment). The most significant issue faced by 35.73% of the tea experts was the poor quality of the tea (e.g., foreign weeds, long shoots, cut tea).