Hui County Purple-skin Garlic

Hui County Purple-skin Garlic

Hui County Purple-skin Garlic is an agricultural geographical indication product.

　　Hui County Purple-skin Garlic is a specialty of Hui County, Longnan City, Gansu Province. As a premium aromatic seasoning vegetable, Hui County Purple-skin Garlic is extremely nutritious, offering both medical and health benefits. It is also an essential condiment in the globally popular Lanzhou Beef Noodles. Hui County Purple-skin Garlic is a nationally protected geographical indication agricultural product.

　　Thanks to its unique geographical location and superior agricultural environment, Hui County’s “three garlics” products enjoy a reputation both within and beyond the province. Among them, purple-skin garlic is the crop with the longest cultivation history, largest planting area, and highest economic returns in Hui County’s local specialties. In 2003, it obtained pollution-free agricultural product certification; in 2005, it achieved Grade A Green Food certification; in 2007, four brand trademarks were registered; in 2008, it won the “Houji Award” at the China Yangling Agricultural Hi-Tech Fair; and in 2013, the yield per mu reached 6,000 yuan.

　　Hui County is one of the most suitable regions in China for autumn-planted overwintering garlic. Hui County Purple-skin Garlic features delicate bulbs, plump cloves, dark purple skin, crisp and tender flesh, thick juice, strong aroma, moderate spiciness, and rich nutrition. It is an excellent choice for eating and seasoning, can also be used medicinally, and is a truly distinctive local product.

　　In 2014, Hui County Purple-skin Garlic, applied for by the Hui County Purple-skin Garlic Planting Association, passed the review of the Quality and Safety Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and expert evaluation, and was granted national geographical indication registration protection as an agricultural product.

　　Geographic Scope

　　Hui County is located in the southeast of Gansu Province, at the southern foot of the West Qinling Mountains and the upper reaches of the Jialing River, between 33°33′ and 34°11′ north latitude, and 105°34′ and 106°27′ east longitude. It borders Tianshui to the north, Shaanxi’s Lueyang to the south, Xihe and Cheng counties of the same province to the west, and Liangdang County to the east. The county stretches 65 km from north to south and 49.5 km from east to west, covering a total area of 2,722.9 km², with arable land of 395,200 mu. The overall terrain is characterized by a downfaulted basin between the northern and southern Qinling Mountains, formed from an ancient sea trough, with concentrated and narrow farming areas spread across shallow mountainous hills and river valley plains. The production area of Hui County Purple-skin Garlic lies in the river valley plains and shallow hill terraced fields of the Luohe, Qianhe, and Xihex river basins in the central-western part of Hui County. At elevations of 1,000–1,100 m, the producing area includes 103 administrative villages across seven towns—Niyang, Jiangluo, Fuzha, Lichuan, Yinxingshu, Chengguan, and Shuiyang—covering a planting area of 4,700 hectares and yielding 100,000 tons of Hui County Purple-skin Garlic annually.