How can China’s goji berry industry achieve significant development?

　　Goji berries possess high medicinal value. Ningxia goji berries, which have the largest cultivation area in China, are included in the 2010 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Polysaccharides from goji berries are the most important active constituents, and numerous studies have demonstrated that these polysaccharides exhibit a wide range of beneficial effects, including immune enhancement, anti-aging, anti-tumor activity, free-radical scavenging, anti-fatigue, radiation resistance, liver protection, reproductive function preservation, and overall health improvement. Goji berries are not only used in traditional Chinese medicine but also as food; some pharmaceutical companies have shifted their focus to the greater health industry and are now engaged in the cultivation and production of goji berries. Currently, goji berry cultivation is expanding rapidly across China, and consumption is steadily increasing. So, what is the current state of the goji berry industry? And in which directions will it develop in the future?

　　The safety of goji berry processing still needs to be standardized.

　　In mid-October, the Ningxia goji berry market was piled high with bags of goji berries. Now that we’ve entered the off-season, not many people are coming to the market to buy goji berries. At the bustling marketplace, reporters saw goji berries packed neatly into bags everywhere. “Sales aren’t good today,” a goji berry market vendor told a reporter from Science and Technology Daily. “During peak seasons, the market is crowded with shoppers, and we can sell dozens of packages in a single day.”

　　In response, Yang Hongchao, General Manager of Ningxia Qizheng Shahu Goji Berry Industry Co., Ltd., believes that at present, it is difficult to distinguish between genuine and fake Ningxia goji berries on the market, and their quality varies widely.

　　Medicinal foods, as the name suggests, can serve both as medicines and as food. For example, goji berries and tea leaves used for brewing—these can be consumed directly after being picked from trees or dug out of the soil. However, during the harvesting process, there’s a risk of contamination; the soil and water may contain pollutants exceeding permissible levels. During processing, some waters used may not be clean enough, and if medicinal herbs are stored for too long or exposed to rain, they can easily spoil. Some herbs may look unappealing or have poor sensory qualities at first glance. After undergoing secondary processing aimed at improving their appearance and making them more visually attractive, they may indeed look better—but in reality, they’ve already developed problems.

　　According to what our reporter has learned, after goji berries are harvested, they need to be washed with an alkaline solution and then dried in the sun. If they become damp, they may even require a second round of processing. Generally speaking, large enterprises carry out the washing and drying procedures on assembly lines, while some small-scale operators may use industrial alkaline solutions for cleaning and sulfur fumigation. It’s extremely difficult to detect these processed goji berries simply by visual inspection or olfactory assessment; the most accurate method of detection remains instrumental analysis.

　　Yang Hongchao told a reporter from Science and Technology Daily that the color of fresh goji berries varies depending on their place of origin, but they always have a soft, lustrous hue and a plump, fleshy texture. Some older, stored goji berries, however, have been dyed, giving them an appealingly bright appearance despite having inferior flesh and lacking any natural luster. Therefore, when buying goji berries, you should definitely avoid being tempted by their vivid color. In particular, dyed goji berries tend to be uniformly red—even the tiny white dots at the stem end are red. By contrast, the stems of normal goji berries usually appear yellow or white at the tip, whereas those treated with artificial pigments often show a reddish tint at the stem end, while those smoked with sulfur turn a deep brown.

　　In terms of taste, Ningxia goji berries are sweet and particularly delicious—when you eat them, they’re exceptionally sweet. In contrast, goji berries from Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, and other regions tend to be overly sweet and cloying. Goji berries soaked in alum may leave a bitter aftertaste when chewed. As for goji berries treated with sulfur, they’ll have a sour, astringent, and bitter flavor profile. Moreover, goji berries dyed with artificial pigments are especially sensitive to water; therefore, when selecting goji berries, you can place a few berries into water or deliberately rub them with damp hands. If the color starts to bleed into the water, it’s a clear sign that artificial dyes have been used.

　　Standardized cultivation builds brand advantages.

　　Data shows that China’s annual sales of goji berries currently reach tens of billions of yuan. It is understood that several Chinese companies, recognizing the promising prospects of the goji berry market, are investing heavily in standardized cultivation in certain areas.

　　Qizheng Tibetan Medicine is one of the leading companies in this field. According to what our reporter has learned, ever since Qizheng Tibetan Medicine entered the northwest’s local medicinal herb business, it has been actively engaged in building local medicinal herb bases in the northwest region. By implementing green production practices from the very source, the company not only ensures product quality but also strengthens the protection of soil and the environment at the source cultivation sites.

　　Qizheng selects goji berry cultivation bases from three key dimensions: First, based on the commercial quality of goji berries, we’ve determined that Jingyuan goji berries are widely recognized as high-quality; second, we conducted rigorous testing on the quality of goji berries produced in Jingyuan, and the results fully meet the standards for green medicinal materials; third, we monitored the environmental conditions of the production area—including soil, irrigation water, and atmospheric conditions—and found that all parameters comply with the standards for green production environments. During the cultivation of goji berries, we developed the “Standardized Operation Manual for Qizheng Tibetan Medicine Base Management,” which strictly adheres to green production requirements by prohibiting the use of banned pesticides. To minimize pesticide residues, we implement integrated pest management strategies, using natural mineral fertilizers and biological pesticides such as leeloo alkaloid, thereby reducing the accumulation of agricultural residues. As a result, our company’s goji berry products have achieved zero instances of excessive pesticide residues and no heavy metal contamination.

　　The company owns two goji berry cultivation bases—in Nanliang, Ningxia, and Jingyuan, Gansu—and two goji berry processing plants, with a total investment of tens of millions of yuan. Qizheng Tibetan Medicine stated that the purpose of this investment is to align with the company’s development strategy, leverage its advantages at the source of medicinal materials, and cultivate high-quality, authentic varieties of goji berries, as well as develop large-scale cultivation, standardized production, intensive management, product R&D, and marketing capabilities in the goji berry industry. By pooling the strengths of all parties involved, the company aims to establish “Ningxia Qizheng Shahu Goji Berry Industry Co., Ltd.” as China’s leading supplier of authentic, origin-based goji berry brands.

　　At Ningxia Qizheng Shahu Goji Berry Industry Co., Ltd., the reporter witnessed the entire process of goji berry production and processing. A 100,000-level dust-free workshop, a twelve-step wash-free processing technique, patented wax-breaking technology, heat-pump drying technology, and 8°C constant-temperature preservation equipment—all these state-of-the-art facilities are housed in Qizheng’s modern production facility, which fully complies with national pharmaceutical quality management standards. It was here that the reporter first encountered these world-class production devices and truly appreciated the vast difference between high-quality goji berries produced under such advanced conditions and those sold by small-scale vendors.

　　Industry standards must be unified for effective regulation.

　　The technical issues surrounding goji berry products have basically been resolved, yet sales remain sluggish. As Lei Jufang, Chairwoman of Qizheng Tibetan Medicine, puts it, “It’s really tough.” The quality of goji berry products varies widely; some inferior products even contain pesticide residues and heavy-metal contamination—issues that consumers can’t easily detect. What’s more, goji berries treated with sulfur appear even more attractive. “Some distributors go to our base to take photos and use them as promotional materials for their customers. But when it comes time to actually stock up, they head to the market instead because the prices there are lower. We’re pretty much powerless to do anything about it,” says Lei Jufang. Lei Jufang suggests that the government should raise standards to block substandard products at the source. For pharmaceuticals circulating through commercial channels, the government needs to step up factory inspections, conduct random checks regularly, and publicly disclose the results of these inspections.

　　Lei Jufang frankly admitted that government regulation presents certain challenges. Both now and in the future, we will strive to build a number of prominent national medicine brands. However, there still remains a lack of sufficient oversight over distribution channels and retail outlets, and the industry lacks unified implementation standards, leaving consumers unable to distinguish between high-quality and inferior medicinal herbs and food ingredients. Therefore, it is essential to establish and improve market regulatory systems and industry standards, providing a favorable market environment for enterprises genuinely committed to producing high-quality traditional Chinese medicines, thereby gradually enhancing their brand credibility. Nowadays, the public is increasingly concerned about their own health; as soon as information is made public, the general public will pay attention. Over time, this will enable those brands with superior quality to gradually earn widespread trust and respect among consumers.

　　Media source: Science and Technology Daily

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