In mid-spring, the packaging workshop of Sheng Yuan Agricultural and Sideline Products Trading Co., Ltd. in Aohan Banner, Chifeng City, is bustling with activity as workers diligently pack Aohan millet. "Our millet is shipped to over 30 cities across the country, with annual sales reaching 16,000 tons, benefiting more than 400 local farming households," stated Wang Wei, the company's chairman.
Aohan Banner, renowned as the "World Millet Capital," maintains a stable millet cultivation area of one million mu annually, producing 600 million jin of high-quality grain. Leveraging the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System of Aohan Dryland Farming, Aohan millet has achieved recognition as a "National Geographical Indication Protected Product" and a "National Geographical Indication Certification Trademark." It has been included in the "China Agricultural Brand" catalog and the National List of Famous, Specialized, and New Agricultural Products, with a brand value reaching 32.078 billion yuan, gaining widespread distribution across the nation.
The national reputation of Aohan millet reflects Chifeng City's substantial efforts in advancing agricultural and pastoral brand development. As a major agricultural hub, Chifeng has maintained grain production exceeding 10 billion jin for multiple consecutive years. By 2025, the city's livestock inventory is projected to reach 24.095 million heads, ranking first in the autonomous region. A critical focus remains on elevating premium products like "Zhaowuda Lamb," "Aohan Millet," and "Chifeng Tomatoes" beyond local markets to achieve national and international recognition, thereby driving industrial upgrading and increasing farmers' incomes.
Chifeng City is spearheading initiatives with regional public brands to integrate branding, standardization, and industrialization of agricultural products. This approach accelerates the transition from high-quality production to effective market distribution, establishing a new paradigm for branded agriculture.
Institutional support forms the cornerstone for standardized brand operations. The city has enacted policies including the "Three-Year Action Plan for Regional Public Brand Development of Agricultural and Livestock Products in Chifeng City (2021-2023)." It established a "Premium Selection Alliance" implementing a two-tier access mechanism combining basic authorization with selective certification. Detailed operational guidelines for training, distribution, catering, and exhibition scenarios ensure comprehensive, standardized brand management throughout the usage cycle.
Channel expansion creates expressways for premium product monetization. Chifeng has developed high-standard exhibition bases for quality agricultural products and inaugurated the Inner Mongolia Premium Agricultural Products Marketing Center. Enterprises participate in international and domestic expositions like the Singapore International Food & Beverage Exhibition and China International Food Expo, directly reaching over one million consumers. The "Chifeng Premium Products in Beijing" initiative continues deepening market penetration, bridging the final gap from production to dining tables.
Talent development cultivates new forces for brand communication. Innovative selection mechanisms for "Agricultural Promotion Officers" have established a梯队 structure with 27 autonomous region-level and 71 city-level officers. This creates a multi-tiered communication network encompassing farmers, enterprise specialists, rural cadres, and online influencers. The "Chifeng Flavor Live-streaming E-commerce Practitioner" labor brand injects sustained human capital into brand promotion.
These concerted efforts are bringing growing numbers of Chifeng's agricultural products into consumer viewlines. Ningcheng County's fruits and vegetables maintain permanent presence in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei markets, Songshan District's colorful bell peppers export to Russia, and Chifeng produce directly supplies the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area's food basket. Distinctive agricultural products from Chifeng are accelerating their market breakout, gaining followers through proven quality.
To strengthen agricultural brands, Chifeng implements comprehensive quality control throughout production cycles. This enables production record storage, product flow tracking, and storage/transportation information queries, achieving "one product, one code" traceability from field to table.
By 2025, seven regional public brands including "Chicheng Fengwei," "Chifeng Buckwheat," and "Zhaowuda Mutton" entered the "Inner Mongolia Famous Regional Public Brands List," with total brand value hitting 119.565 billion yuan, maintaining top regional ranking for three consecutive years. The city now hosts 154 regional public brands, 21 agricultural geographical indications, 43 geographical indication certification trademarks, 110 national famous/specialized/new agricultural products, and 1,093 green food certifications, leading the autonomous region in certification volume.
Positioned at a new starting point, Chifeng will deepen its brand-powered agricultural strategy. Focusing on developing hit products from specialty items like "Zhaowuda Mutton" and "Chifeng Tomatoes," the city will refine brand authorization and supervision mechanisms to propel more premium agricultural products beyond Inner Mongolia into national supply chains.