Sanbian Buckwheat

Sanbian Buckwheat

　　Sanbian buckwheat refers mainly to the buckwheat produced in Dingbian, Jingbian, Wuqi, and Zhidan counties in northern Shaanxi. In export trade, buckwheat from these areas as well as adjacent regions in Gansu and Ningxia is customarily referred to as Yulin buckwheat. Yulin buckwheat belongs to the red-flowered sweet buckwheat type, with three-edged, brown grains, and a thousand-grain weight of 35 grams. It boasts advantages such as large grains, thin husks, white flour, high starch content, strong gluten, and good quality, making it one of China’s three major exported buckwheat varieties.

　　　　Yulin buckwheat is the most widely cultivated red-flowered sweet buckwheat in China, with a planting area exceeding 100,000 hectares, of which 70,000 hectares are in northern Shaanxi alone. Although Yulin buckwheat is a minor crop, it is distributed quite extensively across northern Shaanxi’s Yulin City and Yan’an City, as well as adjacent areas in Gansu and Ningxia. However, its main production areas are Dingbian, Jingbian, and Shenmu counties in Yulin City, and Wuqi, Zhidan, and Ansai counties in Yan’an City. Small-scale cultivation also takes place in Hengshan, Yuyang, and Fugu counties in Yulin City, and Fu County, Yichuan, and Huangling counties (districts) in Yan’an City. Scattered cultivation can also be found in a few counties (districts) in the southern part of Yulin City and the northern part of Yan’an City.

　　　　Yulin buckwheat is a traditional exported agricultural product and has strong production advantages in northern Shaanxi, with a relatively large cultivation area. The early 1990s marked the golden era of Yulin buckwheat exports, with a planting area of over 80,000 hectares in northern Shaanxi alone and a total output of approximately 80,000 tons. Later, due to adjustments in the cropping structure and the implementation of the Grain for Green (Grain for Grass) program, the cultivation area decreased. Due to the arid and low-rainfall climate of northern Shaanxi, buckwheat is often planted in poor, thin-soiled hilly or gully areas, resulting in consistently low productivity levels—with yields typically ranging only from 200 to 650 kilograms per hectare, and significant annual variation. Since the 1980s, with continuous advancements in buckwheat research, the production level of Yulin buckwheat has significantly improved, reaching an average yield of over 750 kilograms per hectare. Notably, Dingbian County once achieved a record yield of 885 kilograms per hectare, demonstrating the significant production potential of Yulin buckwheat.

　　　　Yulin buckwheat is a traditional export commodity in China. Its unique natural growing conditions and high quality have made it favored by foreign buyers, establishing it as a reputable product in the international market. In the 1990s, it was exported to countries and regions such as Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, and Western Europe. However, due to a higher rate of off-color grains and irregular grain shapes, its price is generally lower than that of Inner Mongolia buckwheat—the port price being over 200 yuan per ton cheaper. Coupled with the lack of specialized provincial trading companies, its competitiveness is weak, leading to a year-by-year decline in export volumes in recent years, currently around 10,000 tons annually. On the contrary, with the rise of new nutritional and health buckwheat food products, domestic demand for Yulin buckwheat has been steadily increasing, with annual sales volume reaching over 20,000 tons, primarily in the form of buckwheat flour sold to major and medium-sized cities. Additionally, there are small quantities of processed products such as buckwheat rice and buckwheat noodles.