YINCHUAN, May 29 (Xinhua) -- The output value of the goji berry industrial chain in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region totaled 29 billion yuan (about 4 billion U.S. dollars) in 2023, official data showed on Wednesday.
In 2023, the goji berry planting area in Ningxia covered 325,000 mu (about 21,667 hectares), with an annual fresh goji berry output of 320,000 tonnes.
There are now more than 120 types of goji berry products, which have been exported to more than 50 countries and regions across the world, according to a press conference ahead of the seventh goji berry expo set to be held in Ningxia.
Goji berries, also known as wolfberries, are a Ningxia specialty famous for their nutritional value. China's history of this particular berry dates back thousands of years.
The plant is used in traditional Chinese medicine and has gained renewed attention for its health benefits, particularly its immune system-boosting properties attributed to compounds like lutein and lycium barbarum polysaccharides.
According to a Ningxia goji berry development plan, the region’s annual industrial goji berry output is expected to reach 100 billion yuan by 2030. ■
