Is growing burdock profitable, and what are the prospects for growing it in 2019?

Burdock, also known as "dali zi", "eshi" and other names, was introduced from Japan and is now widely grown in China; its root can also be made into tea, and its appearance is somewhat similar to that of Chinese yam. So, is growing burdock profitable in 2019? What are the growing prospects? Let's find out together!

1. Current state of development

The reason burdock is not very popular in China is mainly that not enough promotion has been done, and people are not familiar with burdock. As people gradually discover its nutritional value and edibility, China has already begun large-scale planting plans. Burdock planting bases in areas such as Shandong have already begun to take shape, and the main production areas for export sales in China are mostly concentrated in this region. In recent years, promotion of burdock in China has gradually gained momentum. By then, the successful opening up of the domestic market will inevitably lead to a surge in demand, and together with the ever-increasing demand from abroad, its development can only be described as promising.

2. Market price

Production areas are mainly distributed in northern China, so there is generally a price difference between north and south. For the same sample, prices in the south are close to more than double those in the north. In northern production areas, the wholesale price of fresh burdock is around 2 yuan, while processed burdock ranges from around 6-10 yuan. In southern regions, ordinary burdock is generally around 4 yuan, and the more expensive ones start at 10 yuan. This price is generally expected to decline somewhat later on.

3. Planting profits

Burdock planting time is not fixed, but in order to reach the market it is generally sown around January or May. At present, yields per mu in China are very unstable: some are only 4,000 jin per mu, while others reach 6,000 jin. The general investment is around 2,000 yuan per mu. At normal market prices, income per mu is 8,000 yuan, and if rough processing is done it can reach around 10,000 yuan, with a net profit of around 6,000 yuan. Relatively speaking, it is a crop with fairly high economic returns, so planting it is still quite recommended.

4. Sales channels

At present, burdock sales are divided into domestic and foreign sales. For domestic sales, people will come specifically to the planting site to purchase it, and most people mainly buy it fresh. For foreign sales, it generally needs a certain amount of processing and preservation, so the price abroad is a bit higher, it takes more time, and dedicated personnel will also come to collect the goods. Now dried burdock is also gradually becoming popular, so there are still many sales channels for burdock at present. The main issue is that planting cannot keep up, especially once the domestic market is opened up later on.

Overall, the planting benefits of burdock are still quite good. If scientific planting is used to increase yield per mu, the planting prospects are still very broad, so it is worth considering.