Badou from Zhaoping

Badou from Zhaoping

　　Name: Badou from Zhaoping; Origin: Zhaoping

　　Located in the southern townships of our city, where a tributary of the Gui River runs through, the terrain along both banks is open, mostly consisting of mid- to low-altitude hills. The area enjoys a South Asian tropical climate—mild temperatures, abundant sunlight, ample rainfall, short frost periods—with an annual average temperature of 20.3–20.8 degrees Celsius and annual rainfall of 1,660.2–1,751.5 millimeters. The soil is mid-layer sandy loam red soil, strongly acidic, loose and moist, with good permeability and high organic content. It has medium fertility and is suitable for badou cultivation.

　　Our region has over a hundred years of experience cultivating badou and has developed extensive expertise in managing badou orchards and increasing yields. Ludipo Village in Muge Township manages a village-owned forest farm spanning over ten thousand mu, using it as a base to vigorously develop badou production. Currently, the village collective forest farm has 9,200 mu of badou, generating an annual collective income exceeding 250,000 yuan. At the same time, villagers have been encouraged to plant extensive badou orchards, resulting in a heartening situation where every household grows badou and enjoys income. Statistics show that the village now has 45,000 mu of badou, averaging 15 mu per capita, with 312 households earning an annual net income of over 10,000 yuan solely from badou. Today, the village is widely known as a “Badou Village,” with per capita income from badou alone reaching 1,500 yuan. The farmers of Ludipo Village have reaped the benefits, making the badou trees their “money trees.”

　　Badou from Zhaoping boasts excellent color, aroma, taste, and shape, and can be used for medicinal purposes, seasoning, and spice production, with wide-ranging applications. The fruit peel, seeds, and leaves of badou all contain aromatic oils—the fresh peel contains 5%–6%, the seeds 1.7%–2.7%, and the leaves 0.75%–0.9%—with anisole being the main component.

The fresh fruit is green; when ripe, it turns purplish-red, dark and dull. The dried fruit is brownish-red, and after harvesting, processing, and roasting, it appears red or reddish-brown with a strong aromatic fragrance.

　　The annual yield exceeds 800 tons, primarily distributed across Muge Township, Majiang Town, Gupao Town, Wujiang Town, Fuyu Township, Bijiang Township, and Zouma Township.

　　Badou is a valuable economic tree species native to China’s South Asian tropical regions, suitable for cultivation across a broad area of our district. In our county, it is mainly found in Muge, Majiang, Gupao, Wujiang, Fuyu, Bijiang, Zouma, and Fuluo townships, covering over 80,000 mu with an annual yield exceeding 800 tons.

　　Every part of the badou tree is valuable. Its fruit is used medicinally to warm the middle energizer, stimulate appetite, and dispel cold. It is primarily used in food, beer, medicine, and daily necessities (such as soap, toothpaste, tooth powder, and perfume).