Tongjiang Gastrodia elata

Tongjiang Gastrodia elata

　　Tongjiang Gastrodia elata

　　Tongjiang Gastrodia elata is a specialty of Tongjiang County with a long history of cultivation. Tongjiang County is a typical hilly and mid-low mountainous region, where 70% of its towns produce wild Gastrodia elata. The local villagers have long-standing customs and experience in cultivating the herb. Tongjiang Gastrodia elata rhizomes are long-oval in shape, slightly flattened, wrinkled and curved. The cross-section appears ivory white or yellowish-brown, rich in various trace elements and highly valuable for medicinal use. Since August 2011, Tongjiang County has planned and implemented the "Bazhong Pharmaceutical Development Action Plan." In the process of advancing urban-rural integration and coordinated development, the county has tailored its approach to local conditions by promoting Tongjiang Gastrodia elata — a traditional and advantageous industry — as one of its key agricultural sectors. Policy support and incentives have been provided to Gastrodia elata farmers. A Gastrodia elata cultivation demonstration zone centered around the Kongshan area of the primeval forest has been established. After years of exploration and development, the scale has continued to expand. A Sichuan Provincial early-stage science and technology innovation fund project, "Research on the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for Wild-Simulated Cultivation of Gastrodia elata and the Construction of GAP Bases," organized and implemented by the Tongjiang County Science and Technology Bureau, has officially gone into production. Currently, the county has a total of 150,000 Gastrodia elata cultivation beds, covering a planting area of 20,000 mu, with an annual dry Gastrodia elata yield of 80 tons, helping local medicinal herb farmers increase their annual income by an average of 2,000 yuan per person. The development of the Tongjiang Gastrodia elata industry has played a positive role in poverty alleviation in the Qinba mountainous region.