To promote the sustainable development and regional cooperation of the tea industry in the Lancang-Mekong Basin, the 2025 Field Training for Community-Based Tea Producers/Cultivators in the Greater Mekong Sub-region was successfully held in Pu'er, Yunnan, from November 10 to 16. Supported by APFNet, the training was co-hosted by Southwest Forestry University/APFNet Kunming Center and the Pu'er Forestry Industry Association. Seven representatives from Thailand attended the activity, exchanging ideas and experiences on tea planting, processing technology, ecological management and marketing strategies.

The Thai delegation conducted field investigations at the Pu'er Tea Museum, Wanzhangshan Ecological Tea Garden, Tea Breeding Base and organic tea processing enterprises, gaining a thorough understanding of Pu'er's practical methods and experiences across key areas, including tea variety breeding, germplasm resource collection, ecological tea garden management, green pest and disease control, standardized primary processing management and organic production systems.

Delegation members agreed that Pu'er's tea industry boasts a well-established, full-chain standardized management system, from raw material bases to processing links, providing valuable references for the technological upgrading of the regional tea industry. Meanwhile, exchanges at the International Tea City and other relevant market platforms helped the delegation gain a better understanding of the key role of brand building, product design and diversified marketing strategies in boosting industrial competitiveness.

The delegates pointed out that eco-friendly tea garden management is significant to the sustainable development of the tea industry. After long-term exploration and practice, Pu'er has accumulated mature and exemplary experiences in developing forest-tea symbiosis models, improving ecological protection mechanisms and promoting green production methods. These experiences offer valuable insights for the Lancang-Mekong region to explore green development paths for its tea industry. During the exchanges, the Thai delegation said they were deeply impressed by Pu'er's advanced production technology and sound ecological management system. They expressed the hope to cooperate with China in optimizing planting management, upgrading processing technology and strengthening market expansion collaboration in the future, while sincerely inviting Chinese experts to Thailand for technical exchanges and guidance.

APFNet’s ongoing efforts to promote cross-border exchanges in the Greater Mekong Sub-region tea industry have strengthened its role as a platform for regional technology and experience sharing. This initiative not only advances coordinated upgrading and experience exchange across the sub-region’s tea sector, but also empowers regional economies to boost their technical capacities, management standards and product competitiveness in tea production.