The China-EU Agreement on Geographical Indications officially entered into force on March 1, 2021. It is China’s first bilateral comprehensive and high-level agreement on the protection of geographical indications (GIs), and an important and practical outcome in the development of China-EU economic and trade relations in recent years.
We will continue to introduce to you the first batch of 100 Chinese GIs and 100 European GIs under the Agreement, to better protect and market them to meet the needs of consumers on both sides for a better life.
GI Episode 10: Qianjiang Crayfish
The city of Qianjiang is at the heartland of Jianghan Plain in Hubei province. It has gained reputation and become a new model in eco-agriculture for breeding crayfish in rice fields in recent years. Its crayfish has drawn a lot of gourmets and foodies from all over the country.
Situated on a low-lying plain, Qianjiang runs through by many rivers and enjoys abundant rainfall. It’s main soil types are fluvo-aquic soil, paddy soil and marsh soil. These conditions make it an ideal place for crayfish cultivation.
To breed crayfish in rice fields, we need to dig a trench in the shallow-ponding field to cultivate crayfish, so as to farm rice and crayfish at the same time. For every rice season, two seasons of crayfish could be cultivated and harvested. Through green co-farming and resources recycling, the crayfish and the rice can grow together, with more yield and better quality.
In addition to this new breeding technique, hardworking and smart local people have made good use of e-commerce platforms to market their crayfish, and Qianjiang Crayfish has become popular among online consumers. Just make some clicks on your phone, you can order the crayfish and have it delivered to your doorstep whenever and wherever you like.
Chinese consumers’ love for Qianjiang Crayfish is also shared by European diners. So far, most of the crayfish products exported from Qianjiang to the EU, such as Denmark, Sweden, Spain and France, are prepared food including crayfish tails, shelled crayfish, whole-crayfish cooked with fennel, crayfish cooked with chili powder and the crayfish sauce. This has greatly boosted China-EU agricultural, economic and trade cooperation.
