Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in south China plans to build an industrialized Artemisia annua base in 3 to 5 years which is expected to achieve an annual sales of more than 1 billion yuan and take more than half of the market in China by 2010.

According to the blueprint, Guangxi will grow Artemisia annua from more than 6,667 hectares, which includes 3 to 5 patches producing quality and high yield such plant on 667 hectares for each.

There will also be a modern research & development center which is expected to develop two to three refined breeds and 1 or 2 new products. A marketing platform catering to the international market will facilitate the management, information exchange and e-commerce.

Artemisinin, the extract from Artemisia annua, is necessary in the production of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT), the most effective antimalarial medicine currently available recognized by the World Health Organization. 51 countries and areas around the world have followed the recommendation of WHO that they adopt ACTs as the first-line treatment for malaria.

Investment in Artemisia annua pays off only in those containing 0.6 percent artemisinin. In China, Artemisia annua of higher quality grows in mountains in the south. Those in Jing county in Guangxi contain 1.2 percent artemisia. It is home to some 373 hectares for the plant, more than half of the nearly 667 hectares in the whole Guangxi.

By People's Daily Online