GUIYANG, China, July 03, 2025 — Every August, the banks of the Chishui River transform into a sea of sorghum. This Hongyingzi sorghum is essential for crafting premium sauce-flavored liquor.
The Guizhou Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs reports that nearly 200,100 hectares in Guizhou are planted with Hongyingzi sorghum. In Renhuai City, over 50,000 households cultivate this sorghum, boosting their annual income by more than 15,000 yuan (approximately $2,088 USD) per household. Hongyingzi sorghum is now a key driver of regional prosperity.
In Maotai Town, Renhuai City, located in Guizhou Province, wineries are preparing for the year’s sorghum wine production.
The local sorghum variety thrives in poor soil, resists drought and disease, and features firm, small grains with thick skins and high amylopectin content. It can also withstand repeated steaming and boiling, which is why the sauce-flavored wine from Maotai Town is unique.
The expanding wine industry in Guizhou has made Hongyingzi sorghum cultivation a major income source for local residents.
Local entities, including companies, cooperatives, and farmers, work together to provide farmers with resources such as sorghum seeds, organic fertilizers, and biological agents free of charge, alongside standardized management, technical guidelines, farming methods, pest control, and harvesting and storage procedures.
Companies purchase sorghum for winemaking through order-based planting agreements at protected prices and offer policy-based insurance, ensuring local communities benefit from industrial growth.
The Guizhou Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has stated that to enhance production, local agricultural departments are promoting farm machinery suitable for mountainous terrain and employing specialized agricultural machinery service providers to deliver comprehensive mechanized services for sorghum growers, covering plowing, planting, management, harvesting, and storage.
Source: Guizhou Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs
CONTACT: Contact person: Mr. Zhou, Tel: 86-10-63074558.
