Lixian Yam

Lixian Yam

Lixian Yam is a protected geographical indication product.

　　Yam is a popular dual-purpose crop used both as food and medicine. Lixian County has been cultivating yams for over 2,000 years, with suitable arable land covering 250,000 mu.

　　In recent years, the yam planting area has reached 55,000 mu, with an annual output of 150,000 tons. It has been successively honored as the "Hometown of Yam in Hebei" and the "Hometown of Yam in China."

　　Yam is a nutritious and health-promoting vegetable suitable for both culinary and medicinal use. Its medicinal value and disease-fighting mechanisms are gradually being discovered and confirmed, making it increasingly popular among consumers. As an organic food, yam is high in sugar, fat-free, neutral in nature, sweet in taste, and non-toxic. It is nourishing without being greasy. The flesh of the tuber is smooth and rich in starch, vitamin A, calcium, phosphorus, as well as various vitamins and amino acids. Not only can yam be cooked, but it can also be made into powder or various types of tonic foods. With significant medicinal properties, yam has been regarded as a valuable tonic by physicians throughout history. According to modern medical research, yam tubers are rich in pectin, saponin polysaccharides, phytic acid, dopamine, glycoproteins, and iodine.

　　Lixian County in Hebei Province is the origin of the protected geographical indication product, yam. Yam is a high-yield and stable crop, with varieties including Bangyao, Ziyao, Xiaobai Zui, and Tiegun Yam. It is rich in protein, amino acids, and other nutrients. Recently, this type of yam has been showcased and sold in Beijing, where it has gained popularity among consumers.

　　　Lixian is located in Baoding City, Hebei Province. Yam is a traditional specialty of Lixian, classified as an organic food. Due to its medicinal value, it has been recognized as a renowned food product in China. The county's Qudi Township is home to a 35,000-mu pollution-free yam planting base. Yam cultivation has become a new pathway for increasing agricultural yields and boosting farmers’ incomes. Currently, the county leads the nation in yam planting area and is truly deserving of the title "Hometown of Yam in China."

　　　　In 2003, after on-site evaluations by experts from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lixian County in Baoding was officially named the "Hometown of Yam in China" by the Ministry of Agriculture, becoming one of the seven major national agricultural specialty industry zones. In 2005, it was approved as a "National Protected Geographical Indication Product" by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine. The Lücan brand yam received "Hebei Pollution-Free Product Certification" and the qualification for "Beijing-Market Linked" products. For five consecutive years, it was honored as a premium product at the Langfang Agricultural Trade Fair in China and as a renowned product in Hebei Province. With an investment of over 3 million yuan, a seedling center was established to implement tissue culture seedling propagation, leading to the selection and breeding of varieties such as Bangyao, Ziyao, and Bai Zui. This facilitated a shift from single-variety to multi-variety, multi-purpose cultivation.

　　　　Yam is a nutritious and health-promoting vegetable suitable for both culinary and medicinal use. Its medicinal value and disease-fighting mechanisms are gradually being discovered and confirmed, making it increasingly popular among consumers. As an organic food, yam is high in sugar, fat-free, neutral in nature, sweet in taste, and non-toxic. It is nourishing without being greasy. The flesh of the tuber is smooth and rich in starch, vitamin A, calcium, phosphorus, as well as various vitamins and amino acids. Not only can yam be cooked, but it can also be made into powder or various types of tonic foods. With significant medicinal properties, yam has been regarded as a valuable tonic by physicians throughout history. According to modern medical research, yam tubers are rich in pectin, saponin polysaccharides, phytic acid, dopamine, glycoproteins, and iodine.

　　　　Lixian has natural advantages for yam cultivation, with a planting history spanning 3,000 years and abundant experience. The average yield per mu reaches 3,000 kilograms. After deducting an investment of around 3,000 yuan, each mu can generate profits of more than 5,000 yuan, making it a reliable path to wealth and income for farmers.

　　　　The Lixian County Party Committee and County Government seized the opportunity and proposed a development strategy of "focusing on one leading industry" and promoting agriculture through projects. They successively introduced a series of measures to boost industrial growth and established a Yam Industry Office. Four major strategies—quality improvement, branding, processing, and technology—were implemented, leading to rapid development of the yam industry. An industrialized pattern has been formed, featuring bases for planting, standards for production, leading enterprises for processing, associations for services, and markets for sales. Products are exported to countries such as South Korea, Japan, Russia, and Singapore.

　　　　To promote the transition of yam production from extensive, low-efficiency practices to refined, high-efficiency models, Lixian actively cultivated leading enterprises and vigorously developed branded products. Hebei Dayang Food Co., Ltd., a key provincial agricultural industrialization enterprise, holds ISO9002 quality system certification. Using pollution-free yam as the main ingredient, it pioneered the production of the "Jiaojiao" brand yam drink in China. The product has been certified as a green food and health food, and has been recognized as a renowned food in China. Currently, the county has five yam deep-processing enterprises with an annual processing capacity of 20,000 tons. The products fall into six major categories with over 20 varieties, including beverages, canned goods, dehydrated slices, peeled strips, unpeeled strips, and liquor. While focusing on yam cultivation, Lixian also introduced advanced domestic technologies to continuously develop deep-processed yam products. Pollution-free yam chips, peeled strips, and unpeeled strips are exported to Japan, South Korea, Russia, and Southeast Asia, generating 6 million yuan in foreign exchange annually.