Chinese solutions to desertification win global praise

Chinese goji berries from Ningxia Hui autonomous region, raisins and walnuts from Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, and other economic crops grown on desertified land have been highly welcomed by people from around the world at the China desertification control achievement exhibition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

"I have never seen a berry that can produce so many different types of food, and they all taste great. The staff on site told me that they are all grown in the desert, not only preventing wind erosion but also bringing considerable income to the local people," said Cesar Luis Garcia, an environmental technology expert from Argentina, while visiting the China Pavilion at the 16th Session of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, which opened in Riyadh on Monday and will continue until Dec 13.

Liu Jun, vice-chairman of the government of Ningxia, said that there are over 150 types of goji berry products, including dried berries, fruit paste, and juice, alone in Ningxia.

"We have planted goji berries on our deserts and barren lands, as well as wine grapes grown at the same latitude as Bordeaux, France. The cultivation of these grasses has transformed the ecology and developed industries," she said.