A resident of Minning town, Ningxia Hui autonomous region, waters grapes at the foot of the Helan Mountain. [Photo by Su Yong/For China Daily]
China wants to turn its primary wine-producing region of Ningxia Hui autonomous region into one that rivals France's Bordeaux, CNBC reported.
China has set up a comprehensive experimental zone for the development and opening-up of the wine and grape industries in Ningxia. The pilot zone, the first set up in China for wine production, got the green light for its establishment from the State Council in May.
By 2035, Ningxia's Helan Mountain eastern foothills aims to produce 600 million bottles, with a total output value of 20 billion yuan ($3.12 billion), according to a plan released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the government of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region.
"If this goal can be achieved, the eastern foothills of Helan Mountain will become an internationally important and influential production area, with a scale matching that of Bordeaux," CNBC said quoting Sui Pengfei, director of international cooperation at China's agriculture ministry.
The eastern foothills area of Helan Mountain has a diverse variety of grapes on par with that of Bordeaux or Napa Valley in the United States, and accounts for the majority of domestic wine production, Sui added.
Bordeaux produced 522 million bottles worth 3.5 billion euros ($4.16 billion) last year, CNBC said, citing a French industry group.
Last year Ningxia's wine exports rose 46.4 percent to 2.65 million yuan, according to the local customs agency. Primary destinations were the US, the European Union, Australia and Japan.