Xingzi Red Shallot

Xingzi Red Shallot

Xingzi Red Shallot is a protected geographical indication product.

　　Xingzi Red Shallot is a distinctive crop that can only be cultivated in the red soil fields of Xingzi Town, Lianzhou City, in the mountainous northern region of Guangdong Province. It is a specialty of Xingzi Town, Lianzhou City, Guangdong Province, and a nationally certified geographical indication product.

　　Characteristics

　　Morphological characteristics: approximately 30 cm tall, with bulbs (corms) mostly as thick as a thumb and swollen in shape, mature scales appearing red, young scales being purple, with an exceptionally high oil content and intense aroma. It is a prized condiment in Chinese cuisine and also a versatile traditional Chinese medicinal ingredient. These unique qualities stem from the specific mineral composition found in the local red soil, giving this product properties that cannot be replicated elsewhere.

　　Current Situation

　　At the six or seven Xingzi Red Shallot purchase and sales points in the Lianzhou Xingzi Town agricultural market, business has been booming. Growers and buyers are inspecting the shallots, weighing them, calculating prices, making payments, and finally sorting, packing, and loading the produce—everyone is hard at work. Although the domestic market for onions and garlic is currently experiencing sluggish sales and exports are also hindered, after Xingzi Red Shallot successfully obtained geographical indication protection status, this year’s total planting area reached 18,000 mu, with stable yields and encouraging prices. Depending on bulb size and quality, purchase prices range between 6 and 7 yuan per kilogram, and the product sells well in regions such as Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and the Pearl River Delta. Some distributors trim the roots, sort, and package the shallots in bundles of 5 kg, 7.5 kg, or 10 kg, selling them at 9 yuan per kilogram.

　　Geographical Indication

　　The Lianzhou Quality Supervision Bureau has actively promoted standardized demonstrations to protect the local brand. By promoting cultivation standards and enforcing strict acceptance criteria, they have on one hand ensured the intrinsic product quality of Xingzi Red Shallot and maintained the genetic integrity of the species, while on the other guiding buyers and sellers to focus on external packaging and promotion to increase product added value. The protected geographical indication area for Xingzi Red Shallot is defined according to the scope proposed in the “Letter on Applying for the Delimitation of the Production Area of Xingzi Red Shallot” (Lianfu Letter [2007] No. 85) issued by the People’s Government of Lianzhou City, Guangdong Province, covering the current administrative regions of four towns: Xingzi Town, Dalu Road Town, Longping Town, and Xijiang Town in Lianzhou City, Guangdong Province.

　　The protected geographical indication area for Xingzi Red Shallot is defined according to the scope proposed in the “Letter on Applying for the Delimitation of the Production Area of Xingzi Red Shallot” (Lianfu Letter [2007] No. 85) issued by the People’s Government of Lianzhou City, Guangdong Province, covering the current administrative regions of four towns: Xingzi Town, Dalu Road Town, Longping Town, and Xijiang Town in Lianzhou City, Guangdong Province.