Amomum Tsao-ko Industrialization Helps Nujiang Get Rid of Poverty

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I. Project Overview 

Nujiang Lisu Music Town, located in the Hengduan Mountains, was once a "land of extreme poverty" in Yunnan Province. Mountains and canyons account for more than 98 percent of its land area, forming a precipitous topography characterized by “four mountains flanking three rivers.” In the past, poverty across entire regions and that caused by harsh natural conditions and lack of ability intermingled, resulting in a poverty rate as high as 56.24 percent. ①

However, due to a natural barrier generated by both oceanic and continental climate in Gaoligong Mountain, Nujiang is now enjoying a unique advantage of the "double rainy season" to allow amomum tsao-ko (a traditional Chinese medicinal herb with many uses) to grow with vitality amid rising mountains and valleys.

Amomum tsao-ko cultivation in Nujiang has a history of nearly 50 years.TheNujiang amomum tsao-ko neither forms an industry nor becomes a famous brand. It doesn't seek an eco-friendly development path. These factors restrict the development of Nujiang amomum tsao-ko.

Amomum tsaoko is the main cash crop for local people.

(Photo courtesy of the Nujiang Tsaoko Industry Exhibition Centre)

Nujiang Green Spice Industrial Park Project is a modern industrial park integrating scientific research, planting, processing, tourism and health care. The Nujiang prefecture government, the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences and companies have jointly cooperated with each other in the construction of the project.

By the end of 2021,the prefecture has had about 32,000 households who plant amomum tsao-ko; the annual output of fresh amomum tsao-ko was 47,500 tons; the agricultural output value of amomum tsao-ko reached 530 million yuan. The amomum tsao-ko industry had been developed in 154 administrative villages, 21 townships (towns) and 3 counties (cities) along the border, covering 43,100 households with a total number of 165,000 people. Many villages in Nujiang had got rid of poverty via amomum tsao-ko cultivation.

II.  Approaches and Methodology

1) Launching plans and policies to guide industrial integration:

From 2016 to 2020, the Nujiang Prefecture Party Committee and Prefecture Government have made the overall plan of "accelerating the construction of green spice industry", which aims at promoting industrial development and building the brand. Besides, the products will be made in a large scale guided by the eco-friendly development path to increase people's income, thus achieving rural revitalization. A green spice industry gathering area is meant to be built with amomum tsao-ko as the core. In addition, the multi-industry integrated development model of "spice plus" with amomum tsao-ko as the main agricultural products has been actively created to achieve economic, social and ecological benefits.

Policies to promote the entire industrial chain of Nujiang amomum tsao-ko

According to the Nujiang green spice industry development plan, the prefecture will focus on eight major goals to solidly promote the development of the spice industry.

2) Developing new products and enhance product added value

Nujiang Green Spice Development Research Institute has continuously increased investment in science and technology and carried out in-depth research and development of green spice products Since its establishment. Guided by market demand, it has developed diversified products such as amomum tsao-ko banquet, amomum tsao-ko personal care products, amomum tsao-ko snacks, amomum tsao-ko weaving handicrafts, etc. As of the beginning of 2022, the Institute has completed the research and development of new products based on amomum tsao-ko, and developed more than thirty products covering seven series.

In July 2019, the Nujiang Green Spice Development Research Institute was established. Through increasing cooperation with universities and institutes, the Institute has established a scientific and technological development and technology application system compatible with the development of the green spice industry, which enables science and technology to play a leading and supporting role in development.

The Nujiang Green Spice Development Research Institute was established in July 2019.

The amomum tsao-ko tea production line has been built, with an annual output of 600,000 boxes of tea (ten bags per box) and an annual output value of 30 million yuan, creating significant economic incomes.

A worker processes amomum tsaoko at an automatic production workshop.

(Photo Courtesy of Nujiang Tsaoko Industry Exhibition Centre)

3) Transforming "wastes" into treasures promotes poverty alleviation

Every July, farmers in the Nujiang Grand Canyon weave discarded amomum tsao-ko stalks into diverse handicrafts, transforming them to "amomum tsao-ko handicrafts", giving off infinite vitality. Fugong County, Nujiang Prefecture, has also set up a "amomum tsao-ko weaving" poverty alleviation workshop, which solves the employment problem of local poverty alleviation and relocation people.

Amomum tsao-ko handicrafts

（Photo courtesy of Nujiang Tsaoko Industry Exhibition Centre）

4) Stimulating demandvia promoting"amomum tsao-ko culture"

The Nujiang Amomum Tsao-ko Culture Week (Photo courtesy of Nujiang Tsaoko Industry Exhibition Centre)

With the continuous exploration of amomum tsao-ko's function, amomum tsao-ko has been deeply integrated into the diet culture of the Nujiang people, and has become an essential spice for every household. The Nujiang amomum tsao-ko culture was nurtured. A series of amomum tsao-ko cultural activities have been held, such as the "Amomum Tsao-ko Festival" in Gongshan Puladi, the Nujiang Amomum Tsao-ko Culture Week, etc. The "Spice Culture" based on amomum tsao-ko is still thriving in the whole prefecture.

III. Beneficiary Description

A large number of leading figures have emerged from the favorable amomum tsao-ko industry in rural poverty alleviation, ecological industry construction and rural revitalization.

The cumulative planting area of amomum tsao-ko in Dulongjiang Township in 2021 has reached 72,768 mu (4851.2 hectares) with an output of 2,055 tons. Calculated at 7.5 yuan per kilogram, the amomum tsao-ko generated over 15 million yuan income for all farmers in the Township.

Sources：

1. The article is excerpted from Nujiang Amomum Tsaoko by Nujiang Tsaoko Industry Exhibition Centre.

2. ① is excerpted from China Pictorial, The Nujiang Miracle: Poverty to Prosperity.

For more information, please contact WFP China COE (wfpcn.coe@wfp.org)