Officials from Sichuan's Department of Agriculture want to develop the province's pickle industry to make it more competitive against the impact of its Korean counterpart in recent years, according to Chengdu Commercial Daily. They aim to increase the annual value of production to 30 billion yuan (US$4.4 billion) in five years.

Sichuan pickles, which have a recorded history of about 1,500 years, are now facing stiff competition from Korean pickles in the international market. Korea exports its pickles to 110 countries, making US$2.4 billion annually. Sichuan's export income from its pickles is US$2.8 million, said Li Weimin, vice director of Sichuan's Department of Commerce.

The key to the fast rise in Korean pickle's popularity lied in the country's use of extended technological chains, said Chen Gong, vice president of Sichuan Provincial Food Fermentation Industry Research Institute.

Korea began developing a scaled and standard product line after realizing its pickles had an extensive future. It filed a standard plan in 1995 to the Codex Alimentarius Commission, an international organization that develops food standards and guidelines. Its plan was adopted as the international standard in 2001, opening the door for foreign trade.

Chen said China should establish a vegetable standard and offer support for leading enterprises to form an organization. The Food Industrial Association of Sichuan joined other research centers to set regulations to guide production, which experts have approved.

Chen denied claims that Sichuan pickles had a high nitrite content. He said that plants accumulate nitrite and nitrate, which are nitrogenous compounds that can be found in grains, vegetables and meats. The amount of nitrite decreases over time, and the nitrite content of Sichuan pickles is below 5 milligrams per kilogram. The national standard is 20 milligrams per kilogram.

(China.org.cn by Jessica Zhang, July 14, 2009)