Live elephants roam organic tea plantations in Sochi

Organics are a safe, comfortable and environmentally friendly environment for people and all living things, including wild animals. This summer, the implementation of these principles in practice could be seen at the organic agricultural enterprise "Khosta Tea", a member of the Union of Organic Farming.
One of the oldest Russian tea enterprises agreed to provide its plantations for live Indian circus elephants for several months, because tea with an elephant is a warm nostalgic association, and for elephants it is a vital necessity. The fact is that they work in a circus and are in a closed room for 9 months. To maintain HEALTH, they need to be in the wild for 2-3 months a year, in natural light and fresh air, with the opportunity to move freely and move with a comfortable amplitude. And just to relax. An organic agricultural enterprise is best suited for this, because they do not use chemical pesticides and fertilizers, this is a natural environment, as close to nature as possible. Even if the animal bites off something, it is not at risk of poisoning. The air here is clean, "Khosta Tea" is located far from harmful industries and highways.
It was not difficult to organize the stay of elephants on the plantation. Two ladies came to "Khosta Tea" for a visit in two large trailers - a 32-year-old mother elephant, her 16-year-old daughter. Special tents were erected for them. The cooperation turned out to be excellent. In the end, everyone is happy - both the elephants, and the workers of the circus and "Khosta Tea".
At first, it was scary that the elephants would eat or trample the tea bushes, but it turned out that elephants do not eat tea, they are not interested in it. Probably, the essential oils in tea leaves are bitter for them.
"We have roads on the plantations where elephants are walked. If they enter the territory with tea, it must be said that elephants apparently have a genetic program to step carefully. At first, I personally watched. "The elephants turned out to be smart and neat, amazing animals," says Sergey Mochalov, deputy DIRECTOR of "Khosta Tea."
It turns out that an elephant eats 22 hours a day. "They are brought cabbage, watermelons, apples, carrots by the truckload. The elephants' owners took care of the food , and we, for our part, prepared the area where they will stand, organized a road for the supply of food and for tourists," says Sergey Mochalov.
Hundreds of people wishing to see elephants on a free range visited the organic tea enterprise "Khosta Tea." Since these are circus elephants, people and the public are a usual thing for them.
"Our elephants are such kissers! They especially like men . If the opportunity arises, they immediately grab me with their trunks, they are so funny," says Sergey Mochalov.
It must be said that the circus workers really enjoyed the plantations. The location of the organic tea enterprise is convenient and beautiful, between the cities of Sochi and Adler. It is also convenient for tourists to come.
The elephants are temporary guests here. The rest of the time, you can visit "Khosta Tea" to see how real organic tea is grown and produced.
"Khosta Tea" is one of the oldest tea enterprises with a rich history. In total, a tea bush lives 100-120 years. The plantations of "Khosta Tea" were planted in the 1950s. In 1947, the development of territories and the clearing of forests began in the Krasnodar Territory. There were impassable subtropical forests here. By personal order of Joseph Stalin, the tea industry of RUSSIA was formed. Very serious research was carried out , certain areas were selected as small plantations, because tea will not grow everywhere. It is quite selective, it needs acidic soil, insolation, and watering. Today, Khosta Tea uses bushes planted in Soviet times. With proper care, their potential is many years.
Now, at the beginning of autumn, the active phase of tea leaf collection is underway. “Tea is usually collected from April to October. Tea vegetates when night temperatures are above 15 degrees Celsius. As soon as the temperature drops below, the tea goes dormant, vegetation stops. Countries where tea has historically been produced - India, Sri Lanka, CHINA - can produce tea all year round. In Sochi, tea can be collected for several months a year. This year, warm weather set in only in mid-May. We think that we will continue collecting until October, because a warm autumn is expected. This year, we are being undermined by drought, because tea needs moisture, without water, it grows worse,” says Sergey Mochalov.
About 50-60 seasonal workers collect tea. It is difficult to find people, because they have to work under the scorching sun, it is hard work.
A special technologist accepts tea from each worker individually. If the tea leaves do not meet the requirements, the person takes the basket back and simply pours it out. “We have a certain gradation - the coarse part is 15%, 30%, etc. This is determined by the technologist at the acceptance. Then the technologist’s task is to determine what type of tea to make from the raw materials received. Meticulous grandmothers collect first-grade tea for us. More tender leaves are used for black tea and fermented red tea. For green tea, you can take coarser leaves,” shares Sergey Mochalov.
The idea to make production organic came to Sergey when he found himself in Moscow at a conference as part of the Prodexpo exhibition. There he met the HEAD of the Organic Farming Union, Sergey Korshunov.
“After listening to about organics, I realized that if we didn’t eat it, then who did? Because we didn’t add chemicals and easily passed all the stages of testing both the soil and the finished product. We produce nothing but tea, so the productswe do not mix it with anything. It is not difficult for us to maintain organic technology,” says Sergey Mochalov.
Organic tea production differs from conventional intensive production in that it does not use chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Chemical disinfectants and fragrances are excluded during processing.
“We have formed a balance - the amount of tea that we can collect on our own is enough for us without fertilizers,” says Sergey Mochalov.
It is not difficult to fight pests and diseases. “Our northern location has its pros and cons. The minus is a relatively short growing season. And the positive aspect is that pests and diseases freeze out even in light frost, and we have the opportunity not to treat tea with chemical plant protection products. Tea is not endemic here, local pests do not respect it,” shares Sergey Mochalov.
“We are glad that an enterprise has appeared in Russia where you can see in practice the importance of adhering to the principles and main tasks of organics - preserving the health of soils, ecosystems and people. And in this case, elephants. The most useful products, rich in essential micronutrients, grow on healthy soil, in a natural environment. Such tea is not only taste, but also"caring for our native land, for consumers, our smaller brothers," says Sergey Korshunov, Chairman of the Board of the Union of Organic Farming.
The Union of Organic Farming notes that organic status helps to distinguish products on the shelves. The Khosta Tea enterprise is included in the unified state register of organic product manufacturers, which is maintained by the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia, which gives it the right to label its products with the state "Organic" sign - a white leaf on a green background.

Source: Organic Farming Union