Dongxing Red Girl Sweet Potato

Dongxing Red Girl Sweet Potato

The Dongxing Red Girl Sweet Potato is a recognized geographical indication agricultural product.

　　Dongxing’s “Red Girl” sweet potato is a distinctive and premium local agricultural product in Dongxing City, having been cultivated there for over 200 years. The earliest historical record appears on page 248 of the “Qinzhou Annals: Agricultural Volume” (at the time, Dongxing was under the jurisdiction of Qinzhou City), which states: “The main varieties during the Republican era included ‘Sixty-Day,’ Girl Potato, Five-Mile Fragrance, and Golden Melon Potato.” The “Girl Potato” mentioned here is the Dongxing Red Girl Sweet Potato. Named for its bright red skin, slender form, and milky-white flesh that resembles a pure and beautiful maiden, it is called the “Red Girl” sweet potato. Fresh tubers have 2.32% crude protein, 0.59% crude fiber, 27.04% starch, and 4.63% soluble sugar. Due to its relatively high fiber content, freshly harvested sweet potatoes are fragrant, starchy, sweet, and have a chestnut-like flavor when cooked. Once stored and then cooked, the exterior becomes sweet and soft while the interior remains fluffy and powdery, exuding a honey-like aroma for a delightful taste.

　　Dongxing “Red Girl” sweet potatoes are rich in essential nutrients such as starch, vitamins, and dietary fiber, as well as minerals including magnesium, phosphorus, and calcium, along with linoleic acid, carotene, vitamin C, and vitamin E. With a sweet taste and mild nature, they help improve digestion, tonify the spleen, boost qi, and promote fluid production to relieve thirst. Regular consumption contributes to better health and longevity.

　　Over the years, the Dongxing Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government have placed great emphasis on the development of the Dongxing “Red Girl” sweet potato industry, listing it as a key focus within modern agriculture. In line with Fangchenggang City’s strategy to establish a series of “Red Brand” products, the Dongxing “Red Girl” sweet potato has seen substantial growth. Cultivation area has expanded from 8,000 mu in 2004 to the current 18,000 mu, yield per mu has increased from 750 kg to 1,620 kg, and total output value has risen from 12 million yuan to 112.5 million yuan. Harvested twice a year, mainly in summer and autumn/winter, the product is not only popular across the region but also favored by consumers abroad.

　　In recent years, brand-building efforts for the Dongxing “Red Girl” sweet potato have achieved a series of accomplishments. The “Red Girl” Sweet Potato Festival was named one of the “Top Ten Leisure Agriculture Festivals” in the region. Heszhou Village was recognized as an outstanding “One Village, One Product” settlement and officially named Guangxi Red Girl Sweet Potato Village. The Dongxing “Red Girl” sweet potato has successively obtained pollution-free certification from the National Agricultural Products Quality and Safety Center of the Ministry of Agriculture, been awarded the title of Guangxi Famous-Brand Product, and received the Geographical Indication Registration Certificate for Agricultural Products from the Ministry of Agriculture, confirming its status as a geographical indication product. The Lunhe-brand “Red Girl” sweet potato has also been certified with a Green Food Certificate issued by the China Green Food Development Center.

　　The protected geographical indication area for Dongxing Red Girl Sweet Potatoes includes all land in Hezhou, Jiangna, Datian, Changhu, and Niunieling villages in Dongxing Town, Dongxing City, as well as parts of land in Songbai and Nanmushan villages; all land in Heng’ai, Sile, Zhazu, Nalou, and Huangzhu villages in Jiangping Town, as well as parts of land in Jiaodong, Jianglong, and Changshan villages; and all land in Malu Town. Covering three towns and 23 villages, the area spans from Jiaodong Village in Jiangping Town in the east, to Nanmushan Village in Dongxing Town in the south, to Datian Village in Dongxing Town in the west, and to Diaoying Village in Malu Town in the north. The geographical coordinates are between 107°53′–108°15′ east longitude and 21°31′–21°44′ north latitude.

　　Source: Guangxi Agricultural Specialties Compilation