Forest food industry takes root under China's canopy

China's forest food production has surpassed 200 million metric tons — about 140 kilograms per person — annually, making it the nation's third-largest agricultural product after grains and vegetables, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration said on Friday.

The country's forest food production capacity is growing, with 46.7 million hectares dedicated to economic forest plantations and over 40 million hectares of forest land used for understory industries, according to Wang Junzhong, director of the administration's reform and development department.

"This enhances the stability of China's food supply and provides a strong foundation for food security," Wang said.

Forest food products include edible oils, red dates, pine nuts and specialty products such as mushrooms and ginseng. More than 2,400 of China's 2,800 counties have economic forests, with their combined annual output value surpassing 2 trillion yuan ($281.6 billion). Understory economic activities, such as growing mushrooms, generate another 1 trillion yuan annually, benefiting millions of forest farmers.

In the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, where abundant sunshine supports forest fruit farming, 1.4 million hectares of land yield 14 million tons of forest fruit annually, with red dates being a major product.

"This year, Xinjiang established 16 red date demonstration gardens, and the average yield per hectare has reached as much as 12 tons, with an income exceeding 44,700 yuan per hectare," said Cai Lixin, chief economist at Xinjiang's forestry and grassland bureau.

In Jilin province, the ginseng industry is booming, with 77,000 hectares devoted to planting the herb, yielding over 780 tons annually. The industry is valued at close to 10 billion yuan.

"Changbai Mountain ginseng has high national brand recognition, and the province has developed more than 1,000 ginseng-related products," said Li Dongyou, deputy director of the Jilin Provincial Forestry and Grassland Bureau.

"For 15 to 20-year-old larch tree forests, we manage the canopy to maintain sunlight levels favorable for both tree maturation and ginseng growth," Li explained.