On 12 April, the Launch Event of FAO One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) China Tea Programme & 2024 International Tea Day Campaign in China takes place in Dongguan, Guangdong province.

In September 2021, FAO launched the Global Action on OCOP through the development of Special Agricultural Products (SAPs), to promote agricultural products with unique qualities and special characteristics at the global, regional and local levels, thereby contributing to the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems, and the realization of better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one left behind. By the end of 2023, the OCOP Initiative has mobilized more than USD14 million to support projects in over 50 countries to develop the SAPs.

In November 2022, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) of China nominated tea as one of China’s SAPs for the OCOP country programme. The OCOP China Tea Programme orientates itself towards the eco-friendly and low-carbon approaches, focuses on the value chain, and incorporates the promotion of technology integration, base establishment, product certification, market development and international exchanges, to invigorate the productivity of the tea industry, to boost the green and low-carbon transformation and development of the industry, and to introduce more high-quality Chinese tea to the world. The Programme will be jointly implemented by the Agricultural Trade Promotion Centre (ATPC) and National Agro-Tech Extension and Service Centre (NATESC) of the MARA, with the Tea Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (TRI-CAAS) as the main technical support unit.

21 May 2024 marks the 5th International Tea Day. FAO is leading the celebration of International Tea Day globally to promote the sustainable production, consumption and trade of tea, to provide opportunities for stakeholders at the global, regional and national levels, and to ensure that the tea industry continues to play a role in reducing extreme poverty, combating hunger and conserving natural resources.