Hejie Chinese Yam

Hejie Chinese Yam

Hejie Chinese yam is a geographical indication agricultural product.

　　Hejie Chinese yam is a specialty of Hejie Town, Babu District, Hezhou City, Guangxi. Chinese yam cultivation is a key and distinctive industry in Hejie Town. The yams grown here have round, straight tubers with an attractive appearance, excellent taste, and high starch content, making them highly favored by merchants from various regions. Hejie Chinese yam is a nationally protected geographical indication agricultural product.

　　Hejie Town in Babu District has a long tradition of vegetable cultivation and is known as the “Century-Old Vegetable Township.” In recent years, the town has continuously increased support for characteristic agriculture, made full use of the land resources along the Li and He rivers, and actively guided farmers to grow high-yield, high-quality Chinese yam. The town has significantly adjusted its agricultural industrial structure, developing Chinese yam cultivation as a major industry. This shift has gradually moved production from scattered, small-scale farming to large-scale operations, resulting in a thriving market for both production and sales. In 2011, the Chinese yam planting area in Hejie Town reached over 1,500 mu, with a total output of approximately 10 million jin and a production value of nearly 10 million yuan.

　　According to the *Guangxi He County Annals*, in 1934 (the 23rd year of the Republic of China), yam was already a specialty of Babu District (formerly He County) in Hezhou City, meaning Chinese yam cultivation has a history of 80 years. Hejie Chinese yam began large-scale cultivation in the 1980s, mainly distributed along the Gui River (Daning River) and He River, at altitudes below 200 meters. The flat terrain, convenient irrigation and drainage, and fertile sandy loam or alluvial soils provide ideal conditions for growing Chinese yam, yielding large, high-quality tubers.

　　Hejie Chinese yam is rich in nutrients. Its flesh is white, firm in texture, with abundant sticky juice, a sweet taste, and fine, powdery consistency. Fresh Hejie Chinese yam contains ≥1.98g of protein per 100g, ≥11.3mg of iron per kg, ≥3.2mg of zinc per kg, and 0.9% juice content, making it of exceptional quality. It stores well and can be processed into medicinal materials. Over the years, through self-propagation, purification, and rejuvenation, it has developed into a unique local variety.

　　Hejie Chinese yam has been registered and protected as a national geographical indication agricultural product. Through standardized production and industrialized management, the production level of the industry has significantly improved, ensuring product quality. Currently, the planting area of Hejie Chinese yam is 1,000 hectares, with an annual output of over 55,000 tons, primarily sold to Hunan, Wuzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and the Hong Kong and Macau regions.

　　Chinese yam cultivation is a key and distinctive industry in Hejie Town. The yams grown here have round, straight tubers with an attractive appearance, excellent taste, and high starch content, making them highly favored by merchants from various regions.

　　In 2013, the “Hejie Chinese Yam” application submitted by the Babu District Agricultural Technology Extension Center passed the review of the Ministry of Agriculture’s Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Center and expert evaluation, leading to its implementation as a nationally protected geographical indication agricultural product.

　　Geographical Scope

　　The geographical indication area for Hejie Chinese yam includes Hejie Town, Butou Town, Xindu Town, and Pumen Town along the banks of the He River in Babu District. The geographical coordinates are between 23°49′N to 24°30′N latitude and 111°30′E to 111°51′E longitude. The protected area spans 6,800 hectares, with a current planting area of 1,000 hectares and an annual output of 55,000 tons. This region is part of the hilly area of the Nanling Mountain range. The He River and its tributaries run north-south through Babu District, passing through towns such as Liantang, Hejie, Butou, Xindu, and Pumen, covering a length of 110 kilometers before exiting Pumen Town’s Chelong Village and flowing into the Xijiang River via Guangdong’s Fengkai.