Jintang Purple Sweet Potato

Jintang Purple Sweet Potato

Jintang Purple Sweet Potato is a protected geographical indication product.

　　Jintang purple sweet potatoes have flesh that ranges from purple to deep purple. In addition to the nutritional components found in ordinary sweet potatoes, they are rich in anthocyanins and have high medicinal value. They are an ideal crop that is easy to cultivate and serves both dietary and medicinal purposes.

　　After preliminary evaluation organized by expert panels commissioned by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, the "Jintang Purple Sweet Potato" application for national geographical indication product protection passed the formal review, officially accepted the protection application, and underwent online public announcement.

　　In recent years, the Jintang Quality Supervision Bureau, with strong support from the county Party committee, county government, and close cooperation from relevant departments, has vigorously promoted brand development. Following the success of helping six local enterprises win the Ninth Sichuan Famous Products Award at the end of 2009, and successfully obtaining national geographical indication product protection for "Jintang Ming Ginseng" in July 2010, the bureau initiated the application process for "Jintang Purple Sweet Potato" geographical indication product protection earlier this year. A leading group for geographical indication product protection was established, with experts from the provincial academy of agricultural sciences appointed as the head of the expert panel. Solid foundational work was carried out, including collecting historical and cultural heritage of Jintang seed potatoes, data on quality characteristics and the relationship with the production region, drawing up the protection area map, investigating annual rainfall and sunshine hours, formulating the "Jintang Purple Sweet Potato Planting Regulations" and product standards, and organizing inspections of the quality of purple sweet potatoes. The application passed the preliminary review by the provincial quality supervision bureau at the end of April and the application report for protection was submitted to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine in mid-June. It is expected to be approved and formally implemented in early September this year. At that time, our county will possess two national geographical indication protected products, ranking among the top in Chengdu in terms of quantity.

　　We believe that the successful application for geographical indication product protection for "Jintang Purple Sweet Potato" will significantly boost the development of the local purple sweet potato industry through its strong brand effect.

　　 "Jintang Purple Sweet Potato" is a famous agricultural product from Jintang County in Sichuan Province. It is rich in anthocyanin glycosides, dietary fiber, vitamins, mineral elements, and all eighteen essential amino acids required by the human body, offering unique nutritional and health benefits. Long-term consumption can help lower blood pressure, enrich blood, boost vitality, nourish lungs, improve skin, aid weight loss, and prevent cancer. Jintang Purple Sweet Potatoes are sold across the country and enjoy a high reputation within the industry. The unique geographical and climatic conditions of Jintang County are highly suitable for growing Jintang Purple Sweet Potatoes. The resulting sweet potatoes feature excellent appearance, moderate anthocyanin content, outstanding quality, and superior storage capabilities—characteristics that clearly distinguish them from similar products grown elsewhere. In recent years, due to their richness in anthocyanins and other health-promoting nutrients, they have been recognized as a special variety. Both the purple skin and flesh of the sweet potato are edible, with a mildly sweet taste. Anthocyanin content ranges from 20–180 mg per 100 grams. These potatoes offer high dietary and medicinal value, making them a purely natural health food. The dry matter yield of fresh tubers is about 8–30%. The stems are not necessarily purple, nor are the leaf stalks or veins, but the flesh is always purple. Most varieties have thick leaves, strong growth vigor, high germination capacity of seed potatoes, and high survival rate of seedlings. The typical growth period is over 120 days, with yield levels reaching 1250–2200 kg per mu, slightly lower than that of ordinary sweet potatoes. Harvesting can also occur after 90–100 days for early market availability, though yields will be lower. In regions with short frost-free periods, up to two or even three crops can be planted per year, yielding very high economic returns. In recent years, these sweet potatoes have been in high demand in both domestic and international markets, showing extremely broad development prospects. Currently, they are being cultivated on a relatively large scale in Jintang County, Sichuan Province.