Li Qichang and Yang Xinzhu, staff reporters    
Yunnan Daily 
On June 7, the Wenshan County held a press release conference at Kunming Trade Fair releasing the news that the Daphne Co. Wenshan obtained GMP certificate from the state regulator. Zeng Wenlong, the Sheriff, announced that "the Hometown of Panax Pseudoginseng - the Wenshan County will grab the chance of Great West China Development," and during the 10th Five-year Plan Period, would invest RMB 1.1 billion yuan in development of the panax pseudoginseng industry, which was a pillar industry in the local economy.
Planting of panax pseudoginseng may be dated to morer than 400 years ago in the Wenshan County. Last year, the local panax pseudoginseng planting area hit 33000 mu (2200 hectares), with production of 1006000 kg. There are 12 local enterprises engaged in processing of panax pseudoginseng products, and more than 70 enterprises engaged in sales of panax pseudoginseng, with annual trading volume topping more than 1 million kg. The panax pseudoginseng industry created output value of RMB 150 million yuan. What's notable, the local Daphne Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., a leading private enterprise in the Wenshan Zhuang & Miao Autonomous Prefecture, booked total sales of more than RMB 40 million yuan last year. This April, the enterprise obtained GMP certificate from state regulator. It marks that Daphne's production and quality management of panax pseudoginseng has reached national standard, and panax pseudoginseng is an increasingly important growth driver for the county's economy.
The huge investment above will be used to fund construction of China Panax Pseudoginseng Industrial Park in Wenshan, maintenance of a modern panax pseudoginseng production base and development of many high-tech panax pseudoginseng series products be developed, says Zeng Wenlong. Totally RMB 230 million yuan will be invested this year in the project of China Panax Pseudoginseng Industrial Park, which initial work has completed. RMB 590 million yuan will be invested in the ongoing modern panax pseudoginseng production base project, as a part of which 35000 mu (2333.33 hectares) of panax pseudoginseng material base, distributed in 12 townships, has been built. RMB 270 million yuan will be invested in development of the panax pseudoginseng series products.

(Source: June 9, 2000 issue of Yunnan Daily, Page A1)