Sunzu Millet

Sunzu Millet

Sunzu Millet is a product with geographical indication status.

　　Sunzu Millet is produced in Sunzu Town, Yinan County, located at the eastern foot of Menglianggu in the Yimeng Mountains, and has a cultivation history of over 1,000 years. The Sunzu Millet Planting Professional Cooperative was established in May 2006. The cooperative adopts a “six unifications” management system—unified base, unified seed supply, unified fertilizer supply, unified purchasing, unified sales, and unified management. It focuses on developing the organic millet industry and obtained organic food certification from China Green Food Development Center in 2009. The cooperative now manages an organic millet planting base of 1,000 mu, with over 560 member households. It yields over 500,000 jin of organic millet annually, with an average increase in income of over 1,000 yuan per mu for members.

　　Sunzu Town has vast areas suitable for millet cultivation and a long tradition of growing millet. However, due to the traditional scattered farming model, the scale, yield, quality, and sales methods could not fully realize the economic benefits of millet cultivation. In May 2006, led by Linyi Qianhui Arts & Crafts Co., Ltd., the Yinan County Sunzu Millet Planting Professional Cooperative was established. Under a company-cooperative-farmer cooperation model, 650-plus mu of millet planting area were contracted. The number of member households grew to over 360, harvesting 200,000 kg of millet in 2009. The cooperative organized unified processing and sales, and partnered with COFCO Group in Beijing. Products were sold to cities such as Beijing and Shanghai at a price of 18 yuan per jin, increasing profits by over 1,200 yuan per mu for members. Farmers’ enthusiasm for joining the cooperative to grow millet significantly increased.

　　Millet is highly nutritious, and the development of the organic millet industry presents huge business opportunities.

　　Geographic Scope

　　The protected geographic area for Sunzu Millet is within Yinan County, Shandong Province, covering 36 administrative villages including Sunzu. The geographical coordinates are longitude 118°20′00″ to 118°39′00″ and latitude 35°35′00″ to 35°44′00″. The altitude ranges between 400 and 762.9 meters. It includes administrative villages such as Nanxiashi Village, Lushan Village, Huangzhuang Village, and Xingzhuangzi Village. The total production area is 2,000 hectares, with an annual output of 900 tons.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　1. External Sensory Characteristics: Sunzu Millet grains are large and round, with a golden color, sticky texture, fragrant taste, and rich nutrition. Its nutrient content is higher than that of other varieties. Especially when cooked into porridge, it forms a layer of shiny yellow rice oil on the surface, offering a delicious aroma and making it an excellent tonic food for women after childbirth and the elderly. 2. Internal Quality Indicators: According to tests conducted by the Crop Research Institute of Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the fat content of Sunzu Millet is ≥4.98%, protein content ≥10.82%, crude starch content ≥74.95%, and lysine ≥0.25%—all rare among various cereals. Therefore, it is well-deserved to say that Sunzu Millet is highly nutritious. 3. Safety Requirements: The production environment of Sunzu Millet must comply with NY5332-2006, “Environmental Conditions for Non-polluted Farmland Crops,” and the marketed millet must meet the safety standards of NY5305-2005, “Non-polluted Millet,” issued by the Ministry of Agriculture. Products that fall under the circumstances specified in Article 33 of the “Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Law” may not be sold on the market.