Poplar Millet

Poplar Millet

Poplar millet is a product with a geographical indication for agricultural products.

　　Poplar millet is a specialty of Acheng District, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province.

　　Poplar millet has a long history. According to the “Geography Chapter” of the *Annals of Poplar Township*, from 1744 to 1758 (i.e., the 9th to 23rd years of the Qianlong Emperor’s reign during the Qing Dynasty), Manchu people migrated to this area, reclaimed wasteland for farming, and by the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty, large areas were developed into farmland for planting foxtail millet. This led to the continuous cultivation of millet to this day. The government of Poplar Town places great importance on the development of Poplar millet. It has now transferred 20,000 mu of arable land, introduced relevant support policies, and strengthened brand building efforts. The millet industry is very promising. There are currently two millet processing plants and two specialized cooperatives: the A’cheng District of Harbin Xuri Grain Planting Professional Cooperative and the A’cheng District of Harbin Yongkang Grain Planting Professional Cooperative. These facilities operate more than ten pieces of processing machinery, with an investment of nearly one million yuan, and an annual output of 1,500 tons. Harbin Tianyi Eco-Agricultural Products Co., Ltd. has signed green food millet purchase agreements with the cooperatives. Green food millet is highly favored by consumers at various national green food agricultural expos across the country, and the products are in high demand. They are sold as far as Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and other cities.

　　Region: Heilongjiang

　　Applicant: Acheng District Jinyuan Green Agricultural and Livestock Products Association, Harbin

　　Region designated: 2014

　　Regional Scope

　　The production area of Poplar millet is located in the northwest of Acheng District, on the Songnen Plain and the upper reaches of the Songhua River, within the North Mid-Temperate Zone. It lies along the valleys and plains on both sides of the Ashi River and its tributaries, as well as in the semi-mountainous areas on the southern bank of the Songhua River. The climate is mild, sunlight is abundant, the soil is soft, and it is suitable for millet cultivation. The geographical coordinates are between 126°40′ to 127°40′ east longitude and 45°10′ to 46° north latitude. The area is distributed across 11 villages in Poplar Township, Acheng District: Lanqi Village, Yongkang Village, Gonghe Village, Hongqi Village, Fuqin Village, Xifa Village, Minzhu Village, Linchang Village, Fanshen Village, Xingfu Village, and Minquan Village. The protected geographical area spans 3,333.3 hectares, with a production area of 1,333.3 hectares and an annual total output of 5,000 tons.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　This section mainly describes the unique quality characteristics of the registered product and the quality and safety standards followed, including: 1. External Sensory Characteristics: Poplar millet grains are full, glossy, smooth to the touch, uncracked and unbroken. When cooked, the millet rice has a good texture and rich flavor, is soft, sweet, and smooth in the mouth, with porridge that resembles yellow milk. Cold millet does not harden upon cooling, remains delicious, fragrant, and has a strong aroma. 2. Internal Quality Indicators: Poplar millet is highly nutritious. Tests show that its protein content exceeds 8%, amino acid content exceeds 8%, fat content is below 3%, amylose content is higher than 15% (with branched-chain starch content over 70%), gel consistency exceeds 100 mm, and alkali spreading value is above Grade 3. 3. Safety Requirements: During production, Poplar millet strictly follows the non-polluting agricultural product production procedures. The product complies with the standards for minor cereal grains in the “No. 17 [2013] Office of Agriculture Quality – Detection Catalogue for 55 Categories of Non-Polluting Agricultural Products Including Solanaceous Vegetables.”