Long County Walnuts

Long County Walnuts

Long County walnuts are a geographical indication certification trademark.

Long County walnuts are a geographical indication agricultural product.

　　Long County walnuts are a specialty of Long County in Baoji City, Shaanxi Province. These walnuts are large, meaty, have thin shells, and boast a delicious flavor. Long County has been named the "Hometown of Walnuts in China" by the China Economic Forestry Association.

　　Historically known as Longzhou, the county gets its name from its location on the eastern slopes of the Long Mountains, situated in the westernmost part of Shaanxi Province. Walnuts are one of Long County's traditional and advantageous forest specialties. Among China’s top ten walnut production regions, Long County lies at the heart of four major producing areas: Weinan in northern Shaanxi, the Qinba Mountainous region, Tianshui in Gansu, and Longnan in Gansu—making it part of the optimal core zone for high-quality walnut cultivation. The local specialty, “Longzhou Walnuts,” are large, meaty, have thin shells, and a rich taste. According to test results from the Testing Center of Northwest A&F University and the Food Quality Supervision and Testing Center (Yangling) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Longzhou walnuts are selenium-rich health foods packed with unsaturated fatty acids and protein. In the 1970s, they were listed as a nationally exempted export product. Historical records from the "New Continuation of Longzhou Annals" indicate that walnut planting began manually as early as the second year of the Xuantong reign during the Qing Dynasty (1910), followed by direct seeding of green-shell walnuts in the 1960s–70s, and terrace-edge planting in the 1980s. Since 2002, continuous planting has been implemented. After decades of development, the walnut industry has taken initial shape. Long County is now one of the 12 key walnut economic forest base counties in Shaanxi, a national standardized walnut production demonstration area, and a provincial-level walnut improved variety base county. The “Xiangling” variety of Longzhou walnuts won a gold award at the First China Walnut Festival.

　　In recent years, the walnut industry in Long County has developed in line with the goals of demonstrating through industrial parks, building capacity through bases, driving growth through branding, leading with key enterprises, and connecting via cooperative organizations. Aiming to become the "Number One Walnut County in Shaanxi," the focus has been on implementing four major projects: improved variety breeding, standardized production, distribution and sales, and deep processing. This is supported by improving three foundational systems: infrastructure, technical services, and industrialized operations. The approach emphasizes standardized varieties in production bases, horticultural management, and industrialized operations, which has led to rapid industry growth. To date, the total walnut cultivation area in the county reaches 485,000 mu (about 32,333 hectares) with 11.145 million trees, yielding an annual production of 10,300 tons and generating an output value of 258 million yuan. The per capita income from walnuts is 1,290 yuan, with an average household income of 4,579 yuan, making walnuts account for 18.9% of farmers’ per capita net income. By 2015, the plan is to expand the walnut area to over 700,000 mu, with 200,000 mu of improved variety walnut orchards in fruit-bearing stage, achieving a total yield of 30,000 tons, output value exceeding 500 million yuan, and contributing over 25% to farmers’ per capita net income. The processing volume is targeted at 15,000 tons, with a processing rate of over 50%, leading to a total industry output value of 1 billion yuan, thereby realizing the goal of becoming the Number One Walnut County in Shaanxi.

　　Long County has been named the "Hometown of Walnuts in China" by the China Economic Forestry Association.

　　Regional Scope

　　The protected production area for the Longzhou Walnut geographical indication agricultural product covers 12 towns and 130 administrative villages in Long County, Baoji City, Shaanxi Province. These include Dongfeng, Badu, Southeast, Chengguan, WenShui, Caojiawan, Tiancheng, Guanguan, Huoshaozhai, Xinjichuan, Lijiahe, and Hebei. The area extends east to Baiyangshugou Village in Dongfeng Town, south to Taoyuan Village in Badu Town, west to Shangcha Village in Guanguan Town, and north to Shancheng Village in Lijiahe Town. The geographical coordinates are between 106°26′–107°81′ east longitude and 34°35′–35°6′ north latitude. The total protected area spans 600,000 mu, with a current production area of 540,000 mu and an annual output of 8,300 tons.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　1. External Sensory Features: Longzhou walnuts are round or oval-shaped, with an average single fruit weight of over 8 grams. The shell is naturally yellowish-white, clean-surfaced, and tightly sutured. The shell is thin with few and thin septa, making it easy to extract whole nuts. The kernels are plump, colored yellowish-white or deep yellow, fragrant and oily, with a mild astringency. 2. Internal Quality Indicators: Longzhou walnuts contain no less than 14% protein, no less than 64% crude fat, no less than 40 mg/kg of Vitamin E, no less than 42 mg/kg of iron, no less than 32 mg/kg of zinc, and over 80% unsaturated fatty acids in their fat content. 3. Quality and Safety Requirements: Longzhou walnuts are produced strictly in accordance with the national food safety standards system. Specific standards include: GB/T16326-2005 "Hygienic Standard for Nut Foods," GB/T2762-2012 "Maximum Levels of Contaminants in Foods," and GB/T2763-2014 "Maximum Residue Limits for Pesticides in Foods."