Products Received National Certificates(3)

Four Jinjiang Agricultural Products Received National Certificates 

Peanut of Yakou village, sea worm jelly of Anhai town, and laver and carrot of Jinjiang have been registered as protected agricultural products with national geographical indications in the last three consecutive years. 

"Being awarded as China's protected geographical indication agricultural products means not only that the products have been credited with unique 'ID' under the protection of laws but also that they are more competitive than other average ones. This contributes significantly to the development of local economy and the increase of rural incomes," says Li Jiayou, director of Jinjiang’s Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau.

01Yakou peanut

On February 22nd, 2017, a ceremony for the issue of Yakou peanut’s geographical indication certificate was held in Jinjiang, marking Jinjiang’s first registered protected geographical indication product in China.

China’s Ministry of Agriculture has strict criteria of soil, production procedures and culture implications for those applying to be listed as agricultural products with national geographical indications. So according to a manager of Jinjiang Yongxing Peanut Factory, the registration of Yakou peanut, a great inspiration to the factory, will surely increase its publicity and market share.

Jinjiang is among Fujian province’s traditional peanut producing centers. Years of development has witnessed the increase of planting area to approximately 4188 acres, with an annual yield of 8000 tons or 400 million yuan in value. There are two leading companies and nearly 100 factories of Yakou peanut in Jinjiang. Yakou peanut boasts a long history of over 200 years. In 2010 it was shortlisted for the third batch of Quanzhou's municipal intangible cultural heritage. As a popular product inside and outside Fujian and in Southeast Asia, Yakou peanut is well received by a wide range of consumers.

02Jinjiang laver

In June, 2018, Jinjiang laver (a type of seaweed) successfully passed the expert review and became Jinjiang’s second nationally protected agricultural product with geographical indication.

The application for national geographical indication was planned and started by related bureaus, specialists and companies as early as on March 11th, 2017, when the 1st Jinjiang laver culture festival, as well as its theme salon to promote Jinjiang laver to apply for the geographical indication, was held. This festival was then organized by Jinjiang Economy News and Jinjiang Laver Processing Industry Association, under the instruction of the Leisure Food Special Committee of China Food Association and Fujian Aquatic Products Association.

According to Liu Yanfei, a senior engineer of Fujian Provincial Aquatic Technology Station, Jinjiang laver, whose technical term is porphyra haitanensis, has richer contents of proteins, aspartic acid, glutamic acid and alanine. That's why it has a prominent advantage over similar products. Jinjiang is the cradle and main producing base of porphyra haitanensis, with a 4999-hectare farming area and a total output of 22.5 thousand tons annually.

Jinjiang has become one of the biggest laver producing and processing bases in Fujian province and even in China thanks to its excellent industry foundation and strong developing ability. Moreover, Jinjiang is now home to such famous brands as Ayibo, Meiweiqiang, Lilv, and Fuchangjia, whose products are sold widely around China and Southeast Asia, with an annual production value of about 2 billion yuan and over 70% of the national market. Jinjiang laver is renowned as a name card for Jinjiang aquatic processing industry.

It is known that Jinjiang owns a unique environment and climate. Jinjiang laver reserve in Weitou bay is situated in a subtropical humid climate zone, enjoying special water conditions. All these make Jinjiang an ideal place to grow and produce laver of prime quality.

03Anhai sea worm jelly

In September 2019, Anhai sea worm jelly officially passed the conditions in Administrative Measures for Geographical Indications of Agricultural Products, and was approved as a lawfully registered and protected product by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

"Anhai sea worm jelly is not merely a simple snack also contains a strong historical and cultural connotation of Anhai, which reflects the historical changes of ancient Anhai town." Lin Rongzong, executive chairman of Anhai Cultural and Creative Association, said that during the application period from 2018 to 2019 specialists from Fujian and Beijing had visited Anhai twice, where they inspected the production process, attended reports and tasted freshly made sea worm jellies.