Donghai Rice

Donghai Rice

Donghai Rice is a protected geographical indication product.

　　Donghai Rice is a type of rice produced in Donghai County, Jiangsu Province. It is a China National Geographical Indication product. With abundant water resources and a suitable climate, the county produces high-quality rice that combines the strengths of both southern and northern rice varieties, securing a notable position in the domestic rice market.

　　Donghai County is located in the northeastern part of Jiangsu Province, between latitude 34°11′ and 34°44′, and longitude 118°23′ and 119°10′. It lies on the southeastern edge of the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, featuring a terrain that is higher in the west and lower in the east. The central and western parts consist of undulating plains and hills, while the eastern area is flat with interconnected lakes and the sea. The elevation ranges from 2.3 to 125 meters. The county’s rivers are part of the lower reaches of the Yi and Shu river systems, including major tributaries such as the Xinshu River, Huaishu-Xin River, Qiangwei River, Lulan River, Shi’an River, and Longliang River. Donghai County is known as the “County of Hundred Reservoirs,” with 63 large, medium, and small reservoirs built, offering a total storage capacity of 890 million cubic meters. Among them, the Shilianghe Reservoir and Anfengshan Reservoir are the largest and fourth-largest in the province, respectively. Donghai County has a temperate, humid monsoon climate with ample sunshine, concurrent rain and heat, and distinct seasons. The average annual sunshine duration is 2,300 hours, with an average annual precipitation of 950 mm and a frost-free period of around 225 days. The mean annual temperature is 14.5°C, with total annual precipitation of 827.8 mm and total evaporation of 1,464.6 mm. The total annual sunshine hours reach 2,030.5. Donghai County is one of China’s major grain-producing counties, among the first group of national commercial grain production bases, one of China’s Top 100 Counties in Comprehensive Agricultural Strength, and a high-quality grain production base. It has been recognized as an Advanced County in Grain Production for four consecutive years. Donghai Rice is the most competitive agricultural industry in the county, accounting for over 50% of total grain output. Approximately 66,700 hectares (1 million mu) of rice are cultivated annually. The region’s unique geography, premium variety resources, standardized cultivation techniques, and processing management have given Donghai Rice its distinctive regional characteristics.

　　Quality Characteristics

　　Donghai Rice is known for being “soft, oily, fragrant, and long-lasting in flavor.” It combines the strengths of both southern and northern rice, overcoming the issues of hardness and poor palatability common in southern varieties, as well as the tendency of northern rice to be soft and glossy when hot but dry and hard when cold.

　　Production Situation

　　Donghai is a Major Grain-Producing County in China [Figure 2: Donghai County Rice Production Base]

　　It is one of China’s first commercial grain production base counties, among the Top 100 Counties in Comprehensive Agricultural Strength, and a high-quality grain production base. It has long served as a testing, demonstration, and integrated research base for high-quality new rice varieties, pollution-free high-quality rice cultivation techniques, and related experiments for universities and agricultural research institutes. The county has established the “Jiangsu Province High-Quality Rice Production and Processing Standardization Demonstration Zone” and the “National High-Quality Medium-Japonica Pollution-Free Production Demonstration Zone,” and has been recognized as an Advanced County in Grain Production for four consecutive years. Donghai Rice is the county’s most competitive agricultural sector. By 2009, it accounted for over 50% of total grain output, with approximately 1 million mu of rice planted annually. The county has developed regional grain trading markets such as the Huangchuan Rice Market and the Baita Grain Wholesale Market. Quality rice processing enterprises like Tian’gu Rice Industry, Hengyi Grain & Oil, and Swan Garden Rice Industry have emerged, with an annual processing capacity exceeding 500,000 tons. Products are sold in more than 10 provinces and cities, including Guangdong, Shanghai, Shandong, and Yunnan. On December 10, 2008, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine of China approved the implementation of geographical indication product protection for Donghai Rice. In industrial development, Donghai County not only promotes tax-revenue-generating enterprises based on silicon resources but also leverages the advantages of its rice production resources and the guidance of agricultural development funds. This has led to the successful introduction of several rice and by-product processing enterprises. For example, Pingming Town alone invested over 10 million yuan to establish the Lianyungang Xinxing Seed Company, a new rice variety breeding enterprise that produces about 10 million kg of quality seeds such as Xudao 3 annually. This has helped achieve a high-quality variety adoption rate of over 98% in the main rice-producing areas of Donghai and supplied premium seeds to surrounding regions such as Xuzhou and Huai’an. Over 10 deep-processing rice enterprises have been established, represented by Lianyungang Tian’gu Rice Industry and Lianyungang Shenzhou Donggang Rice Industry, processing more than 300,000 tons of mid-to-high-end refined rice annually, with products sold across dozens of large and medium-sized cities in China. Two rice by-product processing enterprises have also been set up. Lianyungang Huikang Oils Co., Ltd. processes 45,000 tons of rice bran annually, producing 6,750 tons of rice bran oil and 37,000 tons of crude rice bran oil. This has driven the local price of rice bran from 0.10–0.15 yuan/kg to 0.25–0.30 yuan/kg, increasing farmers’ income by over 3 million yuan annually just from rice bran sales. The leading enterprises have significantly strengthened their driving force, raising per capita rural income by over 200 yuan compared to non-project areas, greatly accelerating the industrialization process of Donghai’s rice.

　　Geographical Indication Product Protection

　　In accordance with the Regulations on the Protection of Geographical Indication Products, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine reviewed the application for the protection of Donghai Rice as a geographical indication product. Upon approval, starting December 10, 2008, protection was granted to Donghai Rice, Danjiangkou Sharp-Snout Bream, Putian Longan, Putian Loquat, and Zhongshan Crisp Flesh Grass Carp (Announcement No. 132 of 2008).

　　Protection Scope

　　The protection scope of the Donghai Rice geographical indication product is based on the range proposed in the “Request for Clarification of the Donghai Rice Geographical Indication Product Protection Area” (Dong Zheng Fa [2008] No. 64) issued by the People’s Government of Donghai County, Jiangsu Province, covering the entire administrative area of Donghai County.