With the government ’ s 1982 move to relax regulations and “ return tea to the growers, ” tea growers were permitted to process and sell tea themselves, bringing cultivation, manufacturing, and sales all under one roof. The number of small producers skyrocketed to more than 8,000, while the number of large producers fell to just 62.
民國 71 年，政府政策鬆綁、「還茶於農」後，茶農自己可以製茶、賣茶，打造「產製銷」一元化。百家爭鳴下，全台小型製茶戶超過 8,000 家，大型專業茶場則萎縮凋零，至今製茶公會只剩下 62 家會員。