飲料茶產業與名間鄉茶葉產銷體系的變遷

Abstract

本文以名間鄉西側台地面上的茶葉種植地區為研究區，試圖透過「農業糧食鍊（agro-food chain）」探討名間鄉地區茶業發展的狀態，以及飲料茶產業興起後對於名間鄉茶葉產銷所帶來的影響。 以名間鄉地區的生產體系而言，民國74年（1985）以前，仍是小型茶作戶林立的狀態，後來由於栽種面積日增，出現專業分工現象，加工製造體系逐步走向大型化、機械化。民國74年（1985）以後，飲料茶產業的興起，具體展現於加工體系上，出現專做飲料茶的製茶廠，亦有許多製茶廠開始在夏秋兼做飲料茶，或是製茶的次級品流入飲料茶市場，也順利的解決名間鄉夏茶滯銷的問題。 以名間鄉地區的運銷體系而言，民國74年（1985）以前，已有轉售茶菁的茶菁販，以及收購粗製茶精製茶的茶商出現；當時名間鄉尚未成為臺灣主要茶葉產區，外地茶商到此收購的比例不高。民國74年（1985）以後，茶作戶逐漸消失在茶葉生產體系中，生產體系趨於專業分工，純茶農委託茶菁販代為銷售茶菁的比例日增，加上名間鄉茶葉產量增加，外地茶商到此收購的比例增加，此地成為全台茶葉重要的集散地，茶葉副產品的數量增加，亦成為大量袋茶的原料來源。 飲料茶的興起，使得名間鄉當地夏茶秋茶茶菁價格趨於穩定，多數的飲料加工廠至此收購的成品以粗製茶階段為主，茶葉副產品亦成為飲料茶原料之一。名間鄉的茶葉生產體系龐大，茶葉從業人員甚多，對於市場反應相當靈敏，如今不再僅製作烏龍茶式的茶乾，亦製作綠茶紅茶等各式產品，隨著飲料茶產業的興起，消費者的年齡層向下延伸。The current study aims to investigate the development of tea industry in Min-jen Township based on the concept of agro-food chain and the influence of the tea drinks industry on the production and marketing of the Min-jen tea industry. As for the production system, because of the increase of the planting scope and the division of labor, the tea industry in Min-jen started to go from the small-scale to the large-scale and mechanical production before 1985. However, with the development of the tea drinks industry since 1985, we have seen that some tea production plants start to produce the tea drinks or the lower-level tea during summer and autumn and some even only focus on the production of the tea drinks. This solves the back-up of the summer tea in Min-jen. Concerning the marketing system, there were tea cyanine retailers and wholesalers who acquired coarsed and refined tea before 1985. Yet, Min-jen was not the main tea production area in Taiwan at that time and there were not many wholesalers from other places. After 1985, due to the professionalizing and division of labor in the Min-jen tea industry, the number of the tea farmers who entrust tea cyanine retailers to sell tea cyanine is getting higher and higher. Also, the tea yields in Min-jen have increased. Thus, the wholesalers from other places have increased a lot, which makes Min-jen one of the important tea distributing centers in Taiwan. On the other hand, the increasing quantity of the by-product of tea also becomes the source of the tea bags. In conclusion, the development of the drink tea brings about the steady price of the summer and autumn tea cyanine. The main products which most tea processing factories acquire are mostly coarsed tea. The by-product of tea also becomes one of the materials to produce tea drinks. The tea production system in Min-jen is large and the workers there are sensitive to the current tea market. The tea production plants in Min-jen now not only produce the dried tea, but they make green tea, black tea and related products as well. With the development of the tea drinks, the consumers’ age level is getting lower.