Ginger paves way to prosperity in Shandong district

Ginger has a long history of cultivation in the Laiwu district of Jinan, Shandong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Ginger has a long history of cultivation in the Laiwu district of Jinan, Shandong province, helping the local area carve out a new path for rural vitalization through a focus on distinctive industries.

The ideal latitude and well-drained soil in Laiwu have nurtured ginger with a large size, thin skin, delicate flesh, and a strong spicy flavor. The ginger planting area in the region covers 100,000 mu (6,666.67 hectares), yielding 500,000 metric tons annually.

To ensure the ginger is of excellent quality, Laiwu has improved ginger varieties by relying on the Laiwu Comprehensive Experimental Station of the National Characteristic Vegetable Industry Technology System and the Jinan ginger industry innovation team, establishing a system for breeding high-quality, disease-free ginger seeds.

Zhang Songjie, the person in charge of the ginger industry technological innovation and achievement transformation demonstration base in Zhaomou village, Dawangzhuang town, Laiwu district, explained, "In our greenhouse, we plant improved ginger varieties that have been bred through early detoxification. These gingers have a longer growth cycle than regular ginger, are resistant to ginger blight and other diseases, and are superior in both yield and quality."

Zhang also added that the base has spurred the installment of over 100 greenhouses in surrounding villages, with ginger production expected to increase by 30 percent per mu this year.

Laiwu is currently focusing on the deep processing of ginger, exporting ginger products such as ginger slices and ginger threads overseas. Meanwhile, efforts are being made to create a ginger industry development cluster.

Since its opening a year ago, the Dawangzhuang Ginger Industry Park in the district has attracted multiple enterprises, forming an industrial cluster that is driving development in the surrounding areas. There are currently nearly 400 enterprises in Laiwu engaged in the processing, storage, and distribution of ginger, processing nearly 1.5 million tons of ginger annually. (Edited by Li Weiwei)