Mizhi Millet

Mizhi Millet

Mizhi Millet is a geographical indication certification trademark.

Mizhi Millet is an agricultural geographical indication product.

　　Mizhi Millet is a specialty of Mizhi County on the Loess Plateau in northern Shaanxi. Broadly speaking, it is also referred to as Yan’an Millet. It features a golden-yellow hue, round and plump grains, a glossy sheen, sticky texture, and fragrant taste. Its quality remains unchanged even after years of storage. When cooked into dry rice, it becomes sweet, fluffy, and increasingly aromatic with each chew, leaving a lingering aftertaste. When made into porridge, it is sticky, tender, refreshing, and richly fragrant, with a shiny layer of millet oil floating on the surface. Mizhi Millet, due to its superior quality, enjoys nationwide renown and is ranked among China’s “Four Famous Millets.”

　　Commonly known as “hairy grain,” millet has a well-known saying among the public: “Millet nourishes the body.” It contains 9.7% protein, 1.7% fat, 76.1% carbohydrates, 0.1% crude fiber, as well as various trace elements such as calcium, phosphorus, iron, carotene, thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin. It also includes vitamins B13 and B15. Additionally, millet is delicious, smooth, and fragrant, and was even offered as a tribute during the Ming Dynasty.

　　Millet also offers functions such as nourishing yin, invigorating yang, clearing heat, promoting diuresis, and reducing swelling. It has certain preventive and inhibitory effects on hypertension, skin diseases, and inflammation. People with kidney conditions are advised to consume it regularly, while those with weak spleen and stomach should eat it over the long term. By incorporating millet into daily diets, people can appropriately supplement selenium, thereby regulating the body’s immune function to help fight diseases—especially viral ones—earning it the reputation of being a “golden pairing” food.

　　Geographic Scope

　　Mizhi County is located in the southern part of Yulin City, Shaanxi Province, along the middle reaches of the Wuding River, between 109°49′–110°29′ east longitude and 37°39′–38°5′ north latitude. It borders Yuyang District to the north, Suide to the south, Jia County to the east, and Hengshan and Zizhou to the west. The county boundary forms a northwest-inclined “concave” shape, stretching 59 kilometers from east to west and 47 kilometers from north to south, covering a total land area of 1,212 square kilometers. The terrain is generally higher in the northwest and lower in the southeast, with elevations ranging from 843.2 to 1,252 meters. Mizhi Millet refers to the millet produced from foxtail millet cultivated throughout Mizhi County. The county administers 7 towns, 6 townships, 396 administrative villages, and 6 residential committees, with a total population of 235,406, including 208,936 agricultural residents and 26,470 non-agricultural residents. The total millet production area spans 6,666.7 hectares, yielding an annual output of 21,000 tons.

　　Natural Ecological Environment and Humanistic-Historical Factors

　　(1) Soil and Landform Conditions: Mizhi is a typical hilly and gully region of the Loess Plateau. The main landforms include mounds, ridges, valleys, and plains. There are six types of soil: loessial soil, red soil, saline-alkali soil, black loam, fluvo-aquic soil, and aeolian sandy soil, among which loessial soil is the most prevalent, covering 1.386 million mu (approximately 92,400 hectares), accounting for 96.59% of the total soil area. The soil is easy to cultivate, loose, soft, and well-aerated with good water permeability, wide suitability for planting, relatively high organic nutrient content, and excellent water and fertilizer retention.

　　(2) Hydrological Conditions: The annual surface water runoff in Mizhi County is 64.92 million cubic meters, with an average runoff depth of 53.6

　　millimeters. The Wuding River has an average annual runoff of 630 million cubic meters passing through the county, while other streams within the county collectively have a flow rate of 0.8 cubic meters per second. The river water in the area contains a certain amount of salts, with mineralization levels generally below 1 gram per liter. Most are bicarbonate, sulfate-sodium-calcium-magnesium type waters, suitable for irrigation.

　　(3) Climatic Conditions: Mizhi has a mid-temperate semi-arid continental monsoon climate, with an average annual temperature of 8.5°C. The average temperatures for spring, summer, autumn, and winter are 10.3°C, 22.3°C, 12.1°C, and -5.2°C respectively. There are significant seasonal and diurnal temperature variations, and the frost-free period lasts 162 days. The area enjoys abundant sunlight, with annual sunshine duration ranging between 2,500–3,000 hours and averaging 2,753 hours. The total annual solar radiation is 138.15 kcal/cm². Average annual precipitation is 456.1 mm, while annual evaporation is 1,557 mm, and average annual humidity is 0.45K.

　　(4) Humanistic-Historical Background: Mizhi Millet boasts a long history, widespread fame, and premium quality. The carbonized millet preserved in the county museum serves as the best evidence. Carbonized millet grains and grain storage pits discovered at the Neolithic “Longshan Culture” sites of Wusuitu and Matuping in the county indicate that millet cultivation in Mizhi dates back at least 4,000–5,000 years. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Mizhi Millet was presented as tribute to the imperial court and was honored as one of China’s “Four Famous Millets.” The county is named “Mizhi” (literally “millet-fat”) because “the fertile soil is suitable for millet, and millet juice is as smooth as fat when washed,” and has long been reputed as the “Hometown of Millet.” According to the Mizhi County Annals: “The city of Mizhi is named for its fertile soil suitable for millet, where millet juice is as smooth as fat, hence the name of the city.” The county plants 110,000 mu of foxtail millet annually, yielding a total output of 29,000 tons and generating an annual output value of 58 million yuan. Millet products are sold to over ten provinces and cities including Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong, winning favor among wholesalers, retailers, and consumers alike. In August 2007, Mizhi was recognized as an advantageous foxtail millet growing region at the First China Yulin International Buckwheat Festival. “Mizhi Millet” won the Gold Award at the inaugural China International Buckwheat Festival and the Jizi Golden Statue Award at the 14th China Yangling Agricultural Expo. The product has also been certified under the ISO9001:2000 international quality supervision system.

　　Production Technical Requirements

　　(1) Site Selection: Foxtail millet is tolerant to poor and dry conditions, highly adaptable, and not demanding on land plots. Both sloped fields and terraces are suitable. It has no strict soil requirements, but generally flat land with good water and fertilizer retention, proper drainage, and medium fertility is preferred. Avoid continuous cropping.

　　(2) Variety Selection: The main varieties include Qingu 4, JinGu 21, JinGu 27, and JinGu 29. Seed quality standards: germination rate no less than 90%, purity no less than 94%, cleanliness no less than 96%, moisture content no higher than 14%. One week before sowing, spread seeds on mats at a thickness of 2–3 cm and sun-dry them for 2–3 days. Alternatively, 3–5 days before sowing, soak seeds in 10% saline solution to remove lightweight, shriveled grains and weeds. Rinse seeds 2–3 times with clean water, then dry or mix with 0.7% of seed weight of 40% difenoconazole or carboxin powder before sowing to prevent pests.

　　(3) Production Process Management: Implement the NY/T5117-2002 Pollution-Free Food Production Technical Regulations for Rice and the Mizhi County Foxtail Millet Production Technical Operation Procedures.

　　(4) Product Harvesting: Harvest promptly when the husk turns the variety’s inherent color, the grains harden, and maturity “cuts green.” Then sun-dry, thresh, and store.

　　(5) Production Record Requirements: Keep detailed records of operation dates, names of agricultural inputs used, manufacturers, application amounts, etc.

　　Product Typical Quality Characteristics and Product Quality Safety Standards

　　(1) External Sensory Characteristics: Mizhi Millet features large, round grains, a golden-yellow color, sticky and tender texture, rich fragrance, and outstanding quality, renowned across the nation. Foxtail millet is highly adaptable, drought-resistant, and resilient, making it relatively stable and high-yielding. The county’s millet planting area covers nearly 80,000 mu. The millet is versatile for consumption—suitable for cooking rice, making cakes, or brewing liquor. As recorded in the Mizhi County Annals: “Non-sticky types are white millet, sticky types are liquor-making millet.”

　　(2) Internal Quality Indicators: Qingu 4 is a mid-season variety with a full growth cycle of 120–125 days, plant height of 130–160 cm, stem diameter of 0.9 cm, spike length of 24–30 cm, spike diameter of 2.5 cm, single spike weight of 21–25 g, single spike grain weight of 17–20 g, milling rate of 78%–80%, thousand-grain weight of 3.6 g, and grain protein content of 11.931%, lysine 0.246%, fat 5.12%, starch 60.63%, fiber 5.87%, total sugar 4.808%. The spikes are long spindle-shaped, with moderately long and loosely packed grains. Both grains and millet are yellow. It has strong drought resistance with a drought resistance coefficient of 0.899, and resists white smut, red leaf disease, and smut. It is slightly susceptible to millet blast in lowland fields. Average yield is 176 kg/mu, 11% higher than the control, with a maximum yield of up to 382.3 kg. JinGu 21 is a single-stem, large-spike, mid-to-late season variety with a spike length of 34.6 cm, long spindle-shaped, longer spikelets, short bristles, single spike weight of 21.72 g, thousand-grain weight of 3.54 g, milling rate of 74.81%, growth cycle of 125–130 days, strong drought resistance with a coefficient of 0.826, resistant to millet blast, and immune to white smut. JinGu 21 is yellow-grained and yellow-milleted, producing thick and sticky porridge with good palatability. It contains 14.344% crude protein, 0.617% lysine, 4.55% fat, 0.489% methionine, 1.22% soluble sugar, 63.23% starch, 6.34% fiber, 0.5% glucose, 0.608% fructose, 3.921% sucrose, and 13.999% of 17 amino acids. Average yield is 193 kg/mu, 9.8% higher than the control, with a maximum yield of 339 kg/mu.

　　(3) Safety Requirements: Product quality safety complies with the NY5305-2005 Pollution-Free Food Millet Standard.

　　Packaging, Labeling, and Related Regulations

　　(3) Safety requirements: Product quality and safety comply with the NY5305-2005 pollution-free food corn standard.

　　Related regulations on packaging labels, etc.

　　(1) Packaging: Mizhi Millet products are made from high-quality millet produced within Mizhi County, and all products are vacuum-packed.

　　(2) Labeling: Users of the label shall uniformly display the agricultural product geographical indication (a combination of the Mizhi Millet name and the public identification pattern) on their products or packaging.