Jilin province has had some promising results in its ginseng sales, according to its agriculture committee, a couple of days ago, and is hoping to cash in on a boom, thanks to its ginseng output being Asia’s largest, or 85 percent of China’s total production and 70 percent of the world’s not to mention around 300,000 jobs for local, and $2.9 billion in sales last year.

Jilin’s ginseng success owes something to government policies and to increasing demand from at home and abroad and, according to the agriculture committee, the $300 million for the province has put into ginseng research, and the expanded growing area.

China’s Health Ministry has been allowing ginseng as a food additive, since 2012, meaning another profitable place for Jilin’s ginseng and a way to increase domestic demand.

Ginseng is considered a tonic in Asia and is consumed as a health product worldwide and Jilin ginseng is popular in East Asian and South East Asia, and has now begun entering some European markets.