China's Jilin province to rev up ginseng industry

CHANGCHUN -- Northeast China's Jilin province has released a guideline to bolster the ginseng industry, aiming to increase its total output value to 80 billion yuan (about 411.9 billion) in 2025 and 100 billion yuan in 2030.

Support measures will be taken in major aspects such as ginseng planting, product development, brand cultivation, and fund seeking, according to the guideline on advancing high-quality development of the ginseng industry released by the general office of the Jilin provincial people's government.

Jilin is China's leading production area for ginseng, a renowned herb believed to enhance wellbeing. Statistics showed that the province produces around 60 percent of the country's total ginseng.

The guideline will enhance the scientific and technological innovation in Jilin's ginseng industry, which can make the industry and relevant ginseng products more competitive in the market, said Chen Changbao, vice-principal of Changchun University of Chinese Medicine.

The province will strive to achieve new breakthroughs in key technologies involving the cultivation of new varieties, efficient planting, and deep processing during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), thus pushing the ginseng industry into the fast lane of high-quality development, said Liu Wenguo, deputy head of the provincial department of agriculture and rural affairs.

Last year, the overall output value of the entire ginseng industrial chain in Jilin surpassed 60 billion yuan, up 5.2 percent year on year.