Lijiang Maca

Maca, a plant belonging to the genus Lepidium in the family Brassicaceae, is native to the Andean mountain regions of South America at altitudes of 3,500 – 4,500 meters. In 2003, it was successfully introduced to Yunnan, China. Lijiang, with its unique geographical environment, has become the main cultivation area for maca in China. The city accounts for as much as 80% of the national planting area and output of maca, making it the largest maca production base in the country.

Lijiang is located at the junction of the Tibetan Plateau and the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. The area is characterized by high mountains and deep valleys, with high altitude, low latitude, large diurnal temperature differences, abundant sunshine, and fertile soil. These conditions closely resemble the original habitat of maca and provide an excellent environment for its growth. Currently, Lijiang maca is mainly cultivated in the high-altitude, cold mountainous areas of Yulong Naxi Autonomous County (玉龙纳西族自治县), Gucheng District (古城区), Yongsheng County (永胜县), Ninglang County (宁蒗县), and other regions, with planting altitudes mostly above 3,000 meters.

The root of Lijiang maca resembles a small round radish and comes in various colors, including black, purple, yellow, and white. Generally, the darker the color, the better the quality. For example, black maca is considered the finest variety. Maca is rich in a variety of nutrients, including protein, macaamide, macaene, multiple vitamins (such as Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and B vitamins), trace elements (iron, zinc, magnesium, calcium, etc.), and γ-linolenic acid. These nutrients endow maca with numerous health benefits, such as combating fatigue, enhancing immunity, improving sexual performance and physical strength, enriching blood and boosting energy, relieving stress, regulating hormones, promoting reproductive health, and stimulating brain function.

In 2002, the successful trial cultivation of maca in Huangshan Town (黄山镇), Yulong Naxi Autonomous County, marked the beginning of the maca industry in Lijiang. Subsequently, Lijiang adopted a “company + technology + base + farmers” model to rapidly expand the maca industry. By 2011, maca cultivation had been promoted in eight townships and 16 village committees across four districts and counties, including Gucheng, Yulong, Yongsheng, and Ninglang. In the same year, the National Health and Family Planning Commission approved maca as a new resource food, breaking through the market development bottleneck. The provincial government also designated Lijiang as a demonstration base for maca industry development in the province. Lijiang planned to build a standardized maca cultivation base of 50,000 acres by the end of the “Twelfth Five-Year Plan” period. This initiative aimed to lift a large number of farmers in high-altitude, cold mountainous areas out of poverty. It also sought to establish a deep-processing base capable of handling 10,000 tons of maca dried products annually, develop independently researched and developed deep-processed products, and achieve high annual output value and tax revenue. Additionally, it aimed to radiate and drive the development of maca cultivation in surrounding suitable areas, including Diqing (迪庆), Dali (大理), Nujiang (怒江), Qujing (曲靖), and Zhaotong (昭通).

Lijiang maca products come in a variety of forms. Maca can be consumed directly or used in cooking to create unique dishes when combined with other ingredients. It can also be soaked with fruits to make beverages. In the field of deep processing, products such as maca slices, maca wine, vegetable dried products, maca composite drinks, and candy products have been developed. With the development of the Lijiang maca industry, its market influence has gradually expanded. It has not only brought considerable economic benefits to the local area and increased income for mountainous residents but also enhanced the fame of Lijiang’s specialty agricultural products and driven local economic development.