GUIYANG - Southwest China's Guizhou province has set a target to become the country's largest tea exporter by 2020, exporting 50,000 tons annually.

Combining ecological advantages of high altitude, low latitude, less sunshine and pollution, Guizhou had the country's largest tea plantation area of 478,000 hectares at the end of 2017.

The provincial agricultural commission Monday said it will support local tea companies to expand exports to the overseas markets, including the United States, Europe, Japan, Republic of Korea, and the Middle East. Some exporters will get additional tax rebates.

Meanwhile, it will welcome domestic and overseas tea trading firms to set up processing bases or workshops in Guizhou to boost exports.

Finlays, a subsidiary of John Swire & Sons Ltd, has started construction on a tea processing plant in the county of Sinan in Guizhou with an annual processing capacity of more than 20,000 tons.

Local authorities will launch quality inspections and seek to ensure about 33,300 hectares of tea plantation area to meet European quality standards.

Guizhou plans to put into effect stricter standards for four well-known types of local tea leaves in November in a bid to guarantee the export quality. The standards require lower levels of pollutants and residual pesticides than the national standards.

In 2017, Guizhou's tea output stood at 327,000 tons with exports reaching 2,852.6 tons.