From Barren Saline Lands to Golden Wheat Fields: Cangzhou's Salt-Tolerant Wheat Sets New Benchmark for Modern Agriculture

CANGZHOU, China, Aug. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The launch of the Cangzhou Drought Salt-Tolerant Wheat brand marked a significant milestone at the 2025 Modern Agriculture Development Forum and Traceable China Supply-Demand Matching Conference, held in Harbin on August 2, 2025. The event, a centerpiece of the 2025 Entrepreneurs Sun Island Annual Meeting organized by Xinhuanet and its partners, highlighted the brand's innovative qualities through targeted promotions and product displays.

For over 2,600 years, Cangzhou has cultivated wheat on saline-alkali soils formed by receding seas. Its drought-resistant and salt-tolerant wheat varieties flourish on natural rainfall, require minimal pest control, and yield grains of exceptional purity—though traditionally with lower productivity.

In recent years, Cangzhou has fully embraced the transformative power of technology, focusing on the rehabilitation of saline-alkali lands. This includes excavating drainage ditches for salt removal, deep tillage, and increased use of organic fertilizers. These efforts have transformed once-barren soils into fertile ground for cultivating salt-tolerant wheat.

Cangzhou has established several platforms including the National Saline-Alkali Land Comprehensive Utilization Technology Innovation Center and the Dryland Salt-Tolerant Wheat Specialty Industry Innovation Base, creating a full ecosystem that integrates breeding, planting, promotion, and processing. In 2025, the city's dryland salt-tolerant wheat cultivation area reached 1.85 million mu (approximately 1,233 square kilometers), yielding 289.5 kilograms per mu and totaling 535,500 tons. Local processing companies are diversifying products to enhance value, with 19 leading dryland salt-tolerant wheat processing businesses in Cangzhou that collectively process over 1 million tons annually. Cangzhou Drought Salt-Tolerant Wheat has earned provincial-level recognition as a regional public brand.

Beyond traditional uses, Cangzhou has expanded its salt-tolerant wheat's potential through comprehensive processing research, leading to a broad range of products. These include traditional staples like wheat steamed buns, decorative pastries, and noodles, alongside newer innovations such as craft beer and high-fiber meal replacement powders, designed to meet the diverse needs of today's consumers.

As a primary source of staple grains, vegetables and fruits for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Cangzhou annually produces 4.76 million metric tons of grain, 4 million tons of vegetables, and 1 million tons of fruit on 1.147 million mu (approximately 7,647 square kilometers) of cultivated land, ensuring food security for the metropolitan cluster. The city's strategic location and efficient transport systems enable same-day delivery of fresh produce to Beijing and Tianjin.

In July 2025, the Cangzhou Agricultural Products Promotion and Drought Salt-Tolerant Wheat Brand Launch Event was successfully held at Hall 1 of the National Agricultural Exhibition Center. The event was organized by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Hebei Province and the Cangzhou Municipal People's Government. Themed "Where Rivers Meet the Sea: The Flavors of Lion City – Cangzhou's Agricultural Bounty in Beijing," it attracted over 160 local distributors and buyers from the capital. The event significantly boosted the brand recognition of Cangzhou's agricultural products, broadened national sales channels, and played a crucial role in increasing agricultural efficiency and enhancing farmer income.

With its strategic positioning in the Bohai Rim region, Cangzhou is using its salt-tolerant wheat brand to develop a complete industrial chain, from science-based cultivation to consumer products. The initiative is setting a transformative example for saline-alkali agriculture nationwide. Through innovations like its salt-tolerant wheat, Cangzhou's agricultural sector is now blending technology with tradition, turning once-barren lands into fertile ground and leading the way in competitive agricultural markets.

SOURCE xinhuanet