The Rapid Development Of The Cistanche Deserticola Industry Is Inseparable From Policy Support

Cistanche deserticola: the 'golden industry' in the desert
Cistanche deserticola, a magical plant that parasitizes the roots of the desert plant Salix matsudana, is known as the "Desert Ginseng" and has a long history of medicinal use in China. It can be traced back to the "Shennong Bencao Jing" and is classified as a top-grade herb. It is known for its "sweet taste, mild temperature, and non-toxic nature. It can treat the five stresses and seven injuries, nourish the middle, remove cold and hot pain from the stem, nourish the five organs, strengthen yin, nourish essence and qi, have many children, and take it for a long time to lighten the body". In ancient times, Cistanche deserticola was a precious item presented to the imperial court by various countries in the Western Regions and was highly favored by the royal family and nobles.
Modern medical research has shown that Cistanche deserticola is rich in bioactive components, such as phenylethanoid glycosides, polysaccharides, alkaloids, etc. These components endow Cistanche deserticola with multiple effects, including antioxidant, immune regulation, anti-fatigue, kidney tonifying and yang strengthening, and intestinal laxative effects. With the continuous improvement of people's health awareness, the application of Cistanche deserticola in medicinal, health care, cosmetics, and other fields is becoming increasingly widespread, and the market demand is showing a rapid growth trend.

Cistanche tubulosa

From the perspective of the domestic market, with the revival of traditional Chinese medicine culture and people's emphasis on health and wellness, the market demand for Cistanche deserticola, a traditional precious Chinese medicinal herb, continues to rise. In major pharmacies, the sales of Cistanche deserticola have been increasing year by year; In the health product market, various types of health products mainly made from Cistanche deserticola are dazzling and deeply loved by consumers. From the perspective of the international market, with the promotion of the "Belt and Road" initiative, China's Cistanche deserticola products are gradually exported to Russia, South Korea, Japan, and other countries and regions, and the international market share is increasing year by year. According to relevant data, the export value of Cistanche deserticola in China reached 150 million yuan in 2019, and it is expected that the export value will continue to grow in the future.
Industry Status: Hidden Concerns under the Flourishing Development
Despite the broad prospects of the Cistanche deserticola industry, it also faces many challenges in its development process. These challenges are like hidden reefs in the dark, hindering the further development and growth of the industry.
(1) Planting end: dual challenges of scale and quality
In terms of planting scale, although the planting area of Cistanche deserticola in China has shown an increasing trend in recent years, it is still relatively scattered overall, with a low degree of scale and intensification. Taking Xinjiang as an example, it is one of the main planting areas of Cistanche deserticola in China. However, most of the local Cistanche deserticola growers are individual farmers, with planting areas ranging from a few acres to tens of acres, making it difficult to achieve economies of scale. This decentralized planting mode not only increases planting costs but also makes it difficult to promote standardized planting techniques, thereby affecting the yield and quality of Cistanche deserticola.

Chinese herb cistanche

In terms of planting technology, there are still many difficulties in the cultivation of Cistanche deserticola. The artificial inoculation technology of Cistanche deserticola is not yet mature, and the success rate of inoculation is low, resulting in unstable yield. The growth of Cistanche deserticola has strict environmental requirements and is sensitive to changes in soil, water, light, and other conditions. Once the environmental conditions are not suitable, problems such as poor growth and frequent occurrence of pests and diseases are prone to occur. Moreover, the planting cycle of Cistanche deserticola is relatively long, usually taking 3-5 years to harvest, which also increases the risks and costs for growers. In some regions, due to the lack of scientific planting and management techniques, the quality of Cistanche deserticola varies greatly, and the content of active ingredients is unstable, making it difficult to meet the market's demand for high-quality Cistanche deserticola.
(2) Processing and sales: obvious shortcomings in the industrial chain
In the processing stage, the processing technology of Cistanche deserticola in China is relatively backward, and the added value of the product is relatively low. At present, most of the Cistanche products have only undergone basic processing such as slicing and drying, and there are relatively few deep-processed products. Taking Alxa League as an example, although it is the main production area of Cistanche deserticola, the processing methods of most enterprises are still relatively traditional, lacking advanced extraction, separation, and purification technologies, which cannot fully utilize the medicinal value and health benefits of Cistanche deserticola. This makes Cistanche products less competitive in the market and difficult to increase in price.
In the sales process, the Cistanche deserticola industry also faces many problems. On the one hand, the market for Cistanche deserticola lacks unified standards and regulations, resulting in uneven product quality and significant price differences. This makes it difficult for consumers to distinguish the quality of products, thereby affecting the trust and recognition of the market. On the other hand, the marketing channels for Cistanche deserticola are relatively single, mainly relying on traditional Chinese medicine markets and offline sales. The application of emerging sales channels such as e-commerce and live streaming is not yet widespread. In addition, the brand construction of Cistanche deserticola lags and lacks a well-known brand with national influence, making it difficult to form a brand effect in the market and restricting the development and growth of the industry.

Cistanche tubulosa

Policy support: a key driving force for industrial development
In the development process of the Cistanche deserticola industry, policy support is like a strong east wind, providing key impetus for the industry's takeoff. Local governments have introduced a series of supportive policies to comprehensively support the development of the Cistanche deserticola industry, from planting to processing, from sales to brand building. The implementation of these policies has not only promoted the large-scale, standardized, and industrialized development of the Cistanche deserticola industry, but also made important contributions to local economic development, ecological protection, and farmers' income increase.
(1) Analysis of Successful Cases of Policy Support
As one of the main production areas of Cistanche deserticola in China, Alxa League is at the forefront of policy support. The local government has formulated the "Research and Industrialization Plan for Sand Resources Plants in Alxa League", which clarifies the development direction and key tasks of the Cistanche deserticola industry. By coordinating the use of key protective forests in the Three North regions, natural forest protection, returning farmland to forests (grasslands), wildlife and plant protection, and the construction of nature reserves, as well as afforestation subsidy projects, the "Alexa League Key Town Construction Protective Forest Preferential Policy" has been formulated, clarifying the principle of "whoever plants trees benefits", greatly mobilizing the enthusiasm of nonprincess bodies to participate in ecological construction, and laying an important foundation for the sustainable development of the Cistanche deserticola industry in the future.
In terms of tackling key scientific and technological problems, Alxa League signed a cooperation agreement with the Chinese Academy of Sciences to establish the Alxa Sand Industry Research Institute and an academician expert workstation. By actively pursuing key scientific and technological projects, we have successively obtained national key research and development plans and autonomous region-level projects to promote the use of geographical indications. Through the implementation of various scientific research projects, significant breakthroughs have been made in the standardized cultivation of red willows, the breaking of dormancy in Cistanche deserticola, the breeding of high-quality varieties, efficient inoculation, graded extraction, and product development. In 2019, we successfully promoted the inclusion of Cistanche deserticola in the list of medicinal and edible products, laying an important foundation for the rapid development of the Cistanche deserticola industry.
In terms of brand building, Alxa League actively builds the regional public brand of "Alxa Cistanche", establishes and improves the standardization system of Cistanche from the origin environmental standards, planting and production technology standards, processing technology standards, quality inspection, and grading standards, product standards, packaging, labeling, storage, and transportation standards, forming a complete standardization system, which not only stabilizes product quality but also improves product quality. Alxa Cistanche has successively obtained geographical indication certification and geographical indication certification trademark for agricultural products, and its brand awareness and market competitiveness continue to improve. At present, the "Alxa Cistanche" brand is deeply rooted in people's hearts and become the primary reference standard for the public to purchase Cistanche.

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Under policy support, Shanshan County has also achieved significant results in the Cistanche deserticola industry. In recent years, Shanshan County has combined desert ecological management with the development of a sand industry, utilizing existing artificial red willow forests and suitable forest wastelands to plant red willows by enclosing them with fences, and vigorously developing the industry of artificially planting red willows and inoculating them with Cistanche deserticola. The tax department adopts a combination of online and offline methods, providing regular offline visits and guidance, as well as one-on-one precise guidance through online phone calls, videos, and other means, to help local Cistanche deserticola planting enterprises and cooperatives grow rapidly. At the same time, the Agricultural Development Bank of China Xinjiang Turpan Branch has approved a loan of 565 million yuan for ecological environment construction and protection, which will be used to support the comprehensive desertification prevention and control project in Shanshan County and accelerate the large-scale planting of local wild grass (i.e. Cistanche deserticola). With the support of a series of policies, the planting area of Cistanche deserticola in Shanshan County has been continuously expanding, and the yield and quality have steadily improved, becoming an important industry for local farmers to increase their income and become prosperous.
(2) Multi-dimensional focus of policy support
From the perspective of planting, the government should increase subsidies for the cultivation of Cistanche deserticola and improve the enthusiasm of growers. Establish special subsidy funds to provide certain subsidies to growers based on planting area, yield, etc., in order to reduce planting costs. At the same time, we will strengthen training and guidance on planting techniques, organize expert teams to go deep into the fields, provide technical services to growers, promote standardized planting techniques, and improve the yield and quality of Cistanche deserticola.
In terms of technological research and development, the government should increase funding to support research institutions and enterprises in conducting research on the planting technology, processing technology, and product development of Cistanche deserticola. Establish a special research fund to encourage researchers to carry out technological breakthroughs and overcome the technological bottlenecks in the development of the Cistanche deserticola industry. Strengthen cooperation with universities and research institutions, establish a mechanism for industry-university research cooperation, promote the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, and enhance the technological content of the Cistanche deserticola industry.
Market regulation is an important link in ensuring the healthy development of the Cistanche deserticola industry. The government should strengthen the supervision of the Cistanche deserticola market, establish a sound market access system and quality standard system, strengthen the testing and supervision of product quality, severely crack down on counterfeit and shoddy products, and maintain market order. Strengthen the supervision of sales channels for Cistanche deserticola, standardize sales behavior on e-commerce platforms, traditional Chinese medicine markets, etc., and protect the legitimate rights and interests of consumers.

Professor Cistanche Research on the Growth of Cistanche deserticola

Brand building is of great significance in enhancing the competitiveness of the Cistanche deserticola industry. The government should increase its support for the brand building of Cistanche deserticola and cultivate brands with regional characteristics and market competitiveness. Strengthen brand promotion and publicity, and enhance brand awareness and reputation through organizing events such as the Cistanche Culture Festival and participating in domestic and international exhibitions. Support enterprises to carry out brand creation activities and provide certain rewards and support to enterprises that have obtained well-known brands.
Future outlook: Policy support, industry prospects
Looking ahead to the future, the development potential of the Cistanche deserticola industry is enormous, and it is expected to become an important pillar of China's characteristic agriculture and traditional Chinese medicine industries. With the continuous improvement of people's health awareness, the demand for Cistanche products will continue to grow, and the market prospects are broad. However, the sustainable development of the Cistanche deserticola industry cannot be achieved without strong policy support.
Only with the guidance and support of policies can the Cistanche deserticola industry solve the many problems it currently faces and achieve large-scale, standardized, and industrialized development. Through policy support, promote innovation in planting technology, and improve the yield and quality of Cistanche deserticola; Strengthen the research and development of processing technology to enhance the added value of products; Standardize market order, strengthen brand building, and enhance the market competitiveness of Cistanche products. Only in this way can the Cistanche deserticola industry stand undefeated in fierce market competition and achieve sustainable development.

Professor Cistanche Research on the Growth of Cistanche deserticola

Meanwhile, the development of the Cistanche deserticola industry will also have a positive impact on ecological protection and rural revitalization. The cultivation of Cistanche deserticola can promote the restoration and improvement of desert ecosystems, achieving a win-win situation of ecological and economic benefits. The development of the Cistanche deserticola industry can also drive farmers to increase their income and become prosperous, promote rural economic development, and provide strong support for the implementation of the rural revitalization strategy.
The development of the Cistanche deserticola industry cannot be separated from the protection of policies. Let us look forward to the introduction of more favorable policies to jointly promote the vigorous development of the Cistanche deserticola industry, let this "golden industry" in the desert shine brighter, and make greater contributions to China's economic development, ecological protection, and people's health.