R[0]="1676";

T[0]="Green Tea served up in Manjimup";

A[0]="By ... Editor";

Dn[0]="20061123";

Dt[0]="Thursday 23 November 2006";

Acats[0]="a14";

B1[0]="      The Department of Agriculture and Food and New Opportunities in Australian Horticulture will host a seminar in Manjimup in December to investigate ";

B2[0]="developing a green tea industry in WA... ";

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S1[0]="      The Department of Agriculture and Food and New Opportunities in Australian Horticulture will host a seminar in Manjimup in December to investigate ";

S2[0]=" developing a green tea industry in WA.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;  Department development office Alec McCarthy said the Department had introduced 10 Japanese varieties of ";

S3[0]=" green tea plants to WA through a series of trials currently under evaluation at the Manjimup Horticultural Research Institute.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;  'Manjimup was ";

S4[0]=" identified by the Japanese as an ideal place for Japanese style green tea production because of its climate, 'clean green' image, fertile soils and good ";

S5[0]=" rainfall,' he said.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;  'The Department has been conducting trials to improve early growth and production knowledge of tea plants grown under ";

S6[0]=" Manjimup conditions.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;  'A yield and quality evaluation trial has also commenced to improve budget developments and market identification as well as ";

S7[0]=" research on processing of the product.'  Mr McCarthy said the Department, in conjunction with the Chemistry Centre, had been carrying out chemical analysis of ";

S8[0]=" fresh tea leaves to assist in quality establishment and rapid variety evaluation.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;  'The Department has been actively working with other interested ";

S9[0]=" parties, including potential overseas investors, to facilitate the development of a green tea industry in Manjimup,' he said.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;  'Green tea has ";

S10[0]=" an enormous market as a beverage and also offers health benefits due to the levels of anti-oxidants it contains.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;  'Green tea ";

S11[0]=" will provide an opportunity for growers in the south west to diversify and develop a new export market.'  The Green Tea Industry seminar will ";

S12[0]=" provide a brief summary of the current industry situation and an outline of opportunities for investment into this new industry - both as a primary ";

S13[0]=" producer and in processing.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;  The seminar is being held at the Manjimup Horticultural Research Institute from 9am to 3.30pm.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; ";

S14[0]=" &nbsp; Morning tea and lunch will be supplied.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; If you would like more information or to register for the seminar contact Kesi ";

S15[0]=" Kesavan on kkesavan@agric.wa.gov.au or phone 9777 0120... ";

R[1]="1033";

T[1]="Time is ripe to take a leaf out of Japan";

A[1]="By ... Editor";

Dn[1]="20060708";

Dt[1]="Saturday 8 July 2006";


Acats[1]="a14";

B1[1]="&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; After water, tea is the most heavily consumed drink on earth and a Japanese tea company is keen for farmers on the ";

B2[1]="Central Coast to get into the exclusive end of the market... ";

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S1[1]="&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; After water, tea is the most heavily consumed drink on earth and a Japanese tea company is keen for farmers on the ";

S2[1]=" Central Coast to get into the exclusive end of the market.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Drinking green tea is a national pastime for the Japanese and ";

S3[1]=" research has shown that places such as Mangrove Mountain and Somersby, just up the F3 from Sydney, have a climate that mirrors Shizuoka, the 'tranquil ";

S4[1]=" hills' district in the shadow of Mount Fuji, which grows some of Japan's best tea.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The tea company Kunitaro believes this makes ";

S5[1]=" the Central Coast the ideal place in the southern hemisphere to supply Japan with tasty out-of-season 'ichiban cha' - premium green tea made from the ";

S6[1]=" first few leaves of each spring flush.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Australia's first green tea conference began in Gosford yesterday.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Belief in its ";

S7[1]=" health-giving properties has also led to green tea being increasingly used in the West in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, and as a drink.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; ";

S8[1]=" Green tea imports to Australia have increased threefold in the past five years and 1200 tonnes worth $7.5 million entered the country last year.<BR> &nbsp; ";

S9[1]=" &nbsp; &nbsp; Vong Nguyen, of the Department of Primary Industries' Gosford Horticultural Institute, is a green tea expert who drinks about 10 cups of the ";

S10[1]=" stuff each day.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; He believes in its health benefits and says it could be profitable for farmers willing to take the plunge.<BR> ";

S11[1]=" &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Although establishment costs are high, Dr Nguyen said Kunitaro was looking to pay up to $20,000 per hectare.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 'The ";

S12[1]=" Japanese most want to drink tea in winter and to give it as gifts for new year,' he said.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Australian tea picked ";

S13[1]=" in October would be well placed to supply Japan when demand was greatest.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; With help from Kunitaro, the department established a one-hectare ";

S14[1]=" trial crop at Somersby in 1998.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Testing in Japan found the tea to be of 'excellent' quality and in 2004 Kunitaro started ";

S15[1]=" its own plantation at Mangrove Mountain.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; It has five hectares planted on a 20-hectare site, and plans to expand to 15 hectares.<BR> ";

S16[1]=" &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Yesterday the conference included the high art of a traditional tea ceremony.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; It takes years to learn and only ";

S17[1]=" the finest leaf is used.<BR> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dr Nguyen has no doubt Australian green tea will be good enough for the same treatment... ";