China News Service, Jilin, February 12th: Title: Jilin Perilla Leaf Export: Adding Fragrance to Korean Barbecue

　　China News Service reporter Shi Hongyu

　　On the third day of the Lunar New Year, 47-year-old farmer Ding Jianjun began preparing for the new year's perilla cultivation.

　　He went to the warehouse to check the storage status of perilla seeds, took photos with his mobile phone, and started a video conference with several perilla brokers. Everyone wishes each other New Year greetings and predicts the spring plowing situation and market conditions together.

　　Perilla leaves are mainly exported to South Korea. This oval green with purple leaves can produce a unique taste when paired with barbecue, and thus it has become the main side dish of Korean traditional cuisine barbecue.

　　The perilla industry is driving changes in many traditional villages in Northeast China, and Yilaxi Town, Yongji County, Jilin Province, where Ding Jianjun is located, is one of them. This is the core area for perilla cultivation in Northeast China. Currently, the county’s planting area reaches 500 hectares, and the annual output of perilla leaves reaches 1 million kilograms. When the harvest is high, it accounts for more than 70% of the Korean market share.

Villagers are conducting field management of perilla. (File photo) Photo provided by Yongji County Government

　　"This is the 'golden leaf' that makes our village rich." Ding Jianjun is a big grower in the village and also works as a broker. This popular crop is labor-intensive, with weeding, thinning, and replanting keeping the whole family busy. He will always pay attention to the planting situation in various places and the consumption situation in South Korea, and offer the purchase price to the villagers.

　　Ding Jianjun also likes the taste of perilla. During the Spring Festival, he and his family used grilled meat wrapped in perilla leaves to entertain relatives and friends. While eating, he recommended: "Barbecue wrapped in perilla leaves is a perfect match!"

　　Wang Huan, deputy mayor of Yilaxi Town, said that many years ago, Yongji County learned that South Korea was in great demand for perilla seeds and salted perilla leaves, and guided farmers to adjust their planting structure. At present, there are 13 perilla sales companies in the town, and 6 of them have direct export rights.

　　"Perilla leaves sell well in South Korea, which has mobilized everyone's enthusiasm for planting." Wang Huan said that before and after the Spring Festival, perilla sales companies in the town are planning their operations for the new year, paying New Year's greetings to the big growers, and paying attention to their farming preparation plans.

　　Wang Chunyu, 49, is the chairman of the Guizhangling Farmers Agricultural Professional Cooperative. Before the Spring Festival, he completed a survey of the entire cooperative’s planting area. He introduced that although the perilla industry is affected by market factors, its returns are higher than those of ordinary crops.

　　The perilla planting industry continues to grow, attracting many foreign brokers to nearby villages to do business. They rented local warehouses to quickly transport perilla leaves to the south and export them to South Korea and Japan.

　　Yongji officials are more concerned about the processing potential of perilla. Currently, the local area is integrating resources and introducing scientific research units and enterprises to jointly develop perilla deep-processed products with higher added value. The local government plans to build a perilla processing industrial park and continue to introduce perilla deep processing enterprises to give full play to the industrial agglomeration effect and continue to increase the additional income of villagers.

　　This Spring Festival, Ding Jianjun learned that the perilla leaves in the village continue to be popular in the Korean market, which makes him quite confident about sales in the new year. (over)