← Back to TCM Global · All articles

Fusong Builds a 21.8 Billion Yuan Ginseng Industry: Lessons for Global Buyers

2026-10-21

China's Ginseng Capital by the Numbers

Fusong County, in the shadow of the Changbai Mountains, has cultivated ginseng for more than 460 years — and dug wild roots for over 1,700. In 2025, the county's ginseng industry chain reached 21.8 billion yuan in output, up 17.3% year over year, according to Economic Daily reporting.

The scale is hard to overstate. The Wanliang Changbai Mountain Ginseng Market alone handles over 80% of China's ginseng trade, with 2025 transaction volume of 6.38 billion yuan.

Why the Industry Chain Model Matters

Fusong's growth is not a farming story — it is a chain story:

• Standardized cultivation: 98.5% improved-seed coverage, energy use down 20%
• Digital traceability: "one code per root" across the supply chain
• Deep processing cluster: 3,215 registered ginseng businesses, 600+ product types across food, beverage, pharma, supplement and cosmetic categories
• Processing-to-farming ratio: 17.5 to 1, meaning value is added far beyond the raw root

What Global Buyers Should Notice

1. Standards Are Now Written Down

Fusong pioneered 37 group standards for ginseng and a strict geographical-indication authorization system. Buyers can specify certified grades rather than relying on verbal claims.

2. Traceability Is Verifiable

The digital platform monitors soil conditions across planting bases, and accredited labs test pesticide residues, ginsenoside content and heavy metals. Ask suppliers for test reports tied to batch codes.

3. The Product Range Has Exploded

Beyond dried roots: ginseng peptides, honeyed red ginseng slices, leaf drop pills, small-molecule peptide drinks, and cosmetic-grade saponin extracts — many already exported to Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and Korea.

How to Source Smarter

1. Request certificates linked to Fusong's GI (geographical indication) system
2. Match product format to your market: peptides for supplements, honey slices for retail, monomer saponins for cosmetics
3. Visit or verify through the county's three trade markets, which now operate year-round thanks to new cold-chain facilities

The Takeaway

A county once known only for raw roots now designs, tests, processes and brands its ginseng end to end. For global wellness brands, Fusong has become the most structured — and most auditable — ginseng supply base in the world.

Explore more Eastern wellness wisdom at TCM Global.