A ceremony marking the beginning of the harvest season for Anji white tea is held in Anji county of Huzhou on March 22. [Photo/hz66.com]

A ceremony marking the beginning of the harvest season for Anji white tea was held in Anji county of Huzhou on March 22.

The ceremony also witnessed the launch of a digital management system, which is used to track data related to the planting, processing, packaging, storage, and sales of tea.

Wang Jinming, an Anji white tea dealer from Shanghai, said that the digital management system will make transactions easier, more secure, and traceable, thus bolstering trust among consumers.

Wang revealed that he sold more than 5,000 kilograms of Anji white tea online last year, worth 10 million yuan ($1.54 million) in total, and that he has placed an order of 15,000 kilograms this year due to the expansion of sale channels.

Anji white tea is a variety of green tea primarily produced in Huangdu village, Xilong town, Anji county, Huzhou. [Photo/hz66.com]

The output of Anji white tea is estimated to be 2,000 metric tons this year, with the price of dried tea increasing year-on-year to about 2,000 yuan per kilogram.

Local authorities have also reached a partnership with SF Express to ensure the timely delivery of the fresh tea.

Anji white tea is a variety of green tea primarily produced in Huangdu village, Xilong town in Anji.

The 170,000-mu (1,333.3 hectares) of white tea in the village is ready to be picked starting from March 22.

Anji white tea has been among the top 10 regional public tea brands in China for over 10 years and was even recognized by the royal family of the Kingdom of Morocco.

In August 2020, the tea was listed among the first batch of geographical indication (GI) products recognized by the EU.