After betel nut "forbidden sale", where is near 100 billion industries going?

◎ Text "Fighter" magazine all media reporter Yin Xin

"The public opinion these days has a great impact on Hainan betel nut growers. The purchase price of 18 yuan per catty before has fallen to more than 13 yuan a few days ago, but this two days have risen again." In many places, in many places After the "prohibited" betel nut products, Fu Ziping, deputy secretary -general of the Hainan Provincial Association of Betel nut, told the reporter of the "Legal person" that when the betel nut growers were harvested in September and October each year, the "banned sale" directly affected the farmers this year. harvest.

Recently, 36 -year -old singer Fu Song died of oral cancer. He had stated on the social platform that his oral cancer was betel nut and called on everyone to "cherish life and stay away from betel nut".

Since then, Sichuan and Zhejiang provinces have issued a "ban" notice in many places. The Yiwu Market Supervision and Administration Bureau received the request of the superior department that food operators in Zhejiang Province were not allowed to sell betel nut products for food packaging and labels. "This notification is basically permanent." Said a staff member of the Yiwu Market Supervision and Administration Bureau.

The Office of the Sichuan Provincial Market Supervision and Administration Bureau issued the "Notice on Strengthening the Supervision of the Sales of Betel nut products". The Nanchong City Yingshan County Market Supervision and Administration Bureau also interviewed betel nut companies and requested that all operators shall not sell food packaging and label betel nuts. And betel nut products; for the sale of betel nuts and betel nut products for food business places, they will immediately contact the food business unit to remove the shelves. In addition, Chengdu and Guangyuan also enforce the law for betel nut products, asking merchants to remove betel nut products.

The betel nut industry is trapped in the "carcinogenic" vortex

In China, betel nut is a huge industry, and Hainan is the main origin of betel nut.

Fu Ziping told reporters that as of 2020, the planting area of ​​betel nut in Hainan Province was 1.87 million mu, and the fruit hanging area was about 1.32 million mu. "So far, the planting area is close to 2 million mu. It accounts for 41.37%of the province's agricultural population. In 2021, the annual output value of betel nut was about 20 billion yuan. "

There is a fact hidden behind these numbers: although carcinogenic, betel nuts have huge consumer demand in my country. In many areas in the south, betel nut is an indispensable part of people's lives. "Hainan planting betel nut has a history of 1500 years, and chewing betel nut has a history of 1,000 years." Fu Ziping said.

However, it is such a huge industry that falls into a vortex due to the "carcinogenic" problem.

Dr. Zhao Zhao, the Department of Stomatology of Chaoyang District, Beijing, told reporters that "betel nut carcinoma is the result of flow statistics and pathological analysis." Dr. Zhao said that the betel nut products used in chewing Oral ulcers are prone to occur, and then mucosal lesions, epithelial cell cancer in the ulcer part. "Most of the patients with oral mucosal fibrosis have a history of chewing betel nut."

A data statistics at the Department of Stomatology at Xiangya Hospital of Zhongnan University in 2018 intuitively explained the problem: in the oral and maxillofacial surgery ward, 50 inpatient patients had 45 people suffering from oral cancer, of which 44 had a long -term chewing history of betel nut.

Between modern medical research data and long chewing customs, the betel nut industry that is continuously expanded in doubts: from 2000 to 2020, the domestic production value of the domestic betel nut industry was nearly 30%. From 2011 to 2018, the production value of China's betel nut industry rose from 55.8 billion yuan to 78.1 billion yuan.

Another set of numbers is also worthy of attention. The popularity of betel nuts in north and south of my country is greatly different. The person in charge of a second -line betel nut brand manufacturer told reporters that in Beijing, a dealer's monthly sales of a dealer are about 100,000 yuan, but in any prefecture -level city in Hunan, this number has soared to millions of yuan, Fujian and Guangdong This is the same as Hainan and other provinces. The large consumption of betel nuts in the southern province is evident.

A dealer of Yang, Shenzhen, Guangdong, told reporters that there are many first -level carcinogens, and it is necessary to discuss the situation. "Tobacco and alcohol are also carcinogens. There is no problem with oral cancer, so chewing betel nut does not mean that it must suffer from cancer. "He told reporters that in some southern provinces, wedding funeral, marriage, or entertaining guests, betel nut is a must -have for entertainment. The ingrained custom. "In Hunan, it is almost impossible for the Shang Chao to buy betel nut produced three days ago. Because the goods are fast, they will be grabbed as soon as they are on the shelves."

The road of "de -foodization" of betel nut

A few days after the "ban", betel nuts in many places in Sichuan and Zhejiang provinces were re -launched. They were placed on separate shelves and sold separately from other foods. The person in charge of a betel nut manufacturer in Xiangtan, Hunan told reporters that the relevant requirements are not completely non -selling, but they cannot be sold on the food shelves.

Since then, the clearing of betel nut products with general food seems to be the choice of the betel nut industry.

In fact, as early as 2020, the "Catalog of Food Production License" revised by the State Administration of Market Supervision and Management did not include "edible betel nut", betel nut no longer as food management, nor can it be issued "Food Production License", betel nut, betel nut, betel nut. The legal basis for food production licenses has been lost.

Since then, the State Administration of Radio and Television issued the "Notice on Stop using Radio and Television and online audiovisual programs to promote the sales of betel nuts and its products" in September 2021, and requires stop using radio and television and online audiovisual programs to promote the sales of betel nut and its products. After betel nut ads are not allowed to appear in the public media, the most common betel nut products on the market: the living space of chewed betel nut, which is further restricted. Betel nuts do not do food, and there are other uses, such as medicinal use. If you can be widely developed and applied for medicinal betel nuts, it will not harm the economic income of the majority of growers, and betel nut does not need to be naturally associated with "carcinogenic".

As the head of the four major southern medicines in my country, betel nut has the medicinal function of lowering gas, water, and malaria, and digestion. "However, the value of medicinal betel nut has not been greatly developed, and the relevant research has not invested enough, and the application scenarios are not much. Now the medicine is not the main destination of these betel nuts we grow." Fu Ziping said, now now, now, now, now, now, now, it is said. At the stage, it is too early to replace the edible betel nut with medicinal betel nut.

There is a problem that still cannot escape, that is, betel nuts used for chewing, so that it cannot be sold as food. So which type of goods it is? "Before the clear national documents were introduced, I couldn't think of how to divide it well." Fu Ziping said.

Is it a way to return to the national franchise?

Doctor Zhao put forward a way out for the management of betel nut products: the country is returned to the country, and the government specializes in it. "The pathology of betel nut and tobacco carcinogenic is similar, and the lesions are caused by a certain amount. Some people mixing betel nut with tobacco leaves and chewing will increase the risk of carcinogens. Tobacco is the same way, the government specializes in selling betel nuts, you need to apply for a special license. "

"If this is the case, many private betel nut factories will face closure." The dealer surnamed Yang told reporters that the upstream of the betel nut industry is mainly in Hainan, the middle reaches are mainly concentrated in Hunan, and the downstream is mainly concentrated in other provinces in the south. The so -called upstream is the planting of betel nut. "Most of the domestic betel nuts use the fruit of Hainan. The quality of Hainan fruit is the best, followed by the fruit of Vietnamese fruits and Indonesia."

Located in the industry chain, it is a factory that process betel nut fruit into chewing food. At present, there are more than 20,000 factories in the country. There are more than 10,000 provinces in Hunan. "It should be said that the processing process in Hunan is the best "Mr. Yang said that once the national monopoly is attracted to the national monopoly, Hainan growers in the industrial chain are not affected. The most affected is the processing plant in the middle reaches of the industrial chain. Because the factory located in the middle reaches of the industrial chain occupies a big head on the value chain, and the upstream growers only provide product raw materials, and the profit is thin.

"Betel nut changes from the original fruit to chewing food, mainly in the processing link. If it is collected by state -owned, it will completely subvert the existing pattern, which is tantamount to 'a earthquake." Mr. Yang said.

Fu Ziping's attitude towards the national franchise does not completely refuse. "If it is like a tobacco and alcohol, betel nut can not enter the food shelves in the future. Instead, it must be displayed in the counter. There is a separate business license. This is also a practice of strengthening standardized management."

Editing ｜ Cui Xiaolin

Edit ｜ Huiningning

School pair ｜ Zhang Bo Zhang Xuehui

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