Anhua Buckwheat

Anhua Buckwheat

　　Anhua buckwheat has a long production history. Since ancient times, farmers have had the traditional habit of growing buckwheat, with a cultivation history spanning nearly 1,000 years. Historical records indicate that when the county was established in the fifth year of the Xining era of the Song Dynasty (1072), there were already accounts of buckwheat cultivation among local produce, covering a relatively large area. In the 22nd year of the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty (1543), the *Annals of Anhua County* recorded: “Cereal crops included ‘millet, rice, broomcorn millet, wheat, foxtail millet, buckwheat and beans...’” The *Annals of Anhua County* from the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty, in the section “Discussion on the Meishan Region,” noted: “Slash-and-burn farming was their livelihood, as they climbed cliffs and steep slopes to plant crops such as buckwheat, sorghum, and foxtail millet.” In 1942, the Anhua County government’s produce statistics recorded a total buckwheat output of 27,280 dan (1,364 tons). In 1982, according to provincial statistics bureau data, Anhua’s buckwheat cultivation covered 78,400 mu, with a total output of 5,820 tons, accounting for 21.89% of the province’s total buckwheat production at the time, ranking first in the province.

　　Buckwheat, also known as black wheat, flower wheat, or triangle wheat, belongs to the Polygonaceae family. The buckwheat varieties grown in our county fall into two main categories: common buckwheat (sweet buckwheat) and tartary buckwheat (bitter buckwheat). Buckwheat seeds are highly nutritious, containing 62% starch, 12.29% protein, 2.4% fat, as well as abundant mineral elements such as iron, phosphorus, and calcium, along with vitamins B1, B2, B6, and P. Modern medicine has proven that tartary buckwheat is rich in a special substance—rutin—which serves as an effective traditional Chinese medicine for treating conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, and meningitis. Therefore, buckwheat is not only a grain crop with high nutritional value but also an important raw material for the food and pharmaceutical industries. Every part of the buckwheat plant is valuable: its stems and leaves, as well as processed by-products, make excellent animal feed; buckwheat hulls used in pillows can soothe the nerves and improve eyesight; and buckwheat stalks used as bedding can repel mosquitoes and insects. Additionally, due to its wide adaptability, simple cultivation techniques, low production costs, flexible crop rotation, and non-competition with major food crops for land, buckwheat can both increase the multiple cropping index and serve as a disaster relief crop in lean years. Moreover, since buckwheat’s flowering period does not overlap with that of most other crops, it is also a major source of nectar. Currently, the county has two buckwheat processing enterprises, which have developed five types of buckwheat products, such as buckwheat noodles, buckwheat paste, and buckwheat pastries, all of which are well received by consumers and have very promising market prospects.

　　During the Tenth Five-Year Plan period, our county plans to focus on variety renewal, promotion of new technologies, and development of new products in buckwheat production, pursuing a path of synchronized development in production, processing, and sales, and developing new products that meet market demand. The goal is to achieve an annual buckwheat cultivation area of 120,000 mu, total output of over 12,000 tons, processed product output of over 5,000 tons, and output value of over 30 million yuan by the end of the Tenth Five-Year Plan period. Specifically, in 2002, the county aims to develop 50,000 mu of buckwheat, with a total output of 5,000 tons, processed product output of 1,000 tons, and output value of 4 million yuan.