Li Yucai and his "Oil Peony"

Peony can be ornamental, can be used as medicine, and can extract oil? This may be strange to most people. However, for Li Yucai, a gray-faced member of the 11th CPPCC National Committee and former deputy director of the State Forestry Administration, this is an important event that he has devoted most of his life to promoting.

"Oil peony is a kind of high-end crop with ecological, economic and social benefits. vigorously develop the oil peony industry, it is of great significance to promote China's oil production, ensure the safety of grain and oil, improve the ecological environment, increase farmers' income, and help farmers in poor areas get rid of poverty." Li Yucai pointed out in an interview with reporters that with the construction of ecological civilization deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and the rapid development of green economy, the development of oil peony industry is ushering in a sunny day.

"Peony Oil", have you ever eaten it?

"Oil peony is a unique plant in our country. Although some countries have peonies, they are ornamental and do not have the function of high yield oil. As far as the primary industry is concerned, according to the annual seed yield of 500 jin per mu of oil peony and 10 yuan per jin of seeds (10 yuan per jin is the government protection price set by many provinces and regions across the country), then the income of seeds per mu will reach 5000 yuan. Therefore, the income per mu of planting oil peonies is several thousand yuan more than that of traditional crops. " Li Yucai clearly used figures to outline the economic picture of planting oil peonies to reporters.

"Peony seed oil contains up to 92.26% unsaturated fatty acids, especially more than 40% α-linolenic acid. α-linolenic acid is an important component of human brain cells and tissue cells. it is an indispensable polyunsaturated fatty acid that can not be synthesized and replaced by the human body. it is also known as' blood nutrients', 'vitamin F' and 'plant brain gold'. " Taking peony seed oil as an example, Li Yucai calculated an account for the reporter: because of its unique health care effect, the market price per jin now amounts to more than 1000 yuan, the seed per mu is calculated according to 500jin, the oil production rate is calculated according to 20%, and the oil can be produced per mu. 1000 yuan per jin, that is, 100000 yuan.

The root of oil peony-Cortex moutan is also a traditional Chinese medicine, which has the effects of clearing away heat and cooling blood, activating blood circulation and removing stasis, reducing deficiency fever and so on. The main ingredient of Liuwei Dihuang pill is Cortex moutan. Therefore, even if you don't grow peonies, you can still sell for 30,000 to 50,000 yuan per mu of mu (5 years old). As far as the secondary industry is concerned, the processing link can produce high-grade edible oil, high-grade cosmetics, high-grade daily necessities, high-grade drugs and radiation protection products from all the physical objects of one mu of oil peony (not counting the extension of roots and other parts). The value of the finished product is about one hundred thousand yuan.

"Peony stamen tea processed by peony stamens has been exported to South Korea, Arabia and other countries, and demand exceeds supply. The cosmetics developed from peony petals and peony seed oil have better health and moisturizing effects than many popular products in the world.... "

"planting oil peonies can effectively adjust the planting structure and increase farmers' income. After planting oil peonies, there is no need to change stubble for 30-50 years, and then only general management such as weeding and fertilization is needed, which saves labor, time and cost, and liberates a lot of labor. And oil peony is a kind of crop which integrates primary, secondary and tertiary industries and has a long industrial chain. "

Li Yucai is as familiar with oil peonies as his own children.

Small innovation promotes great development

Why has such a promising industry not been developed for a long time? Li Yucai told reporters, "in fact, as early as the 1960s and 1970s, people around Heze tried to squeeze peony seed oil." However, because the black shell of peony seeds could not be peeled off at that time, we had to bring the seeds to extract oil together. Results the crude oil of peony seed extracted by the original method has poor quality, low oil yield, dark color and bitter taste. The masses mistakenly think that this kind of oil peony has no development value, resulting in the effective development and utilization of peony seed oil. "

At the critical moment, the breakthrough in fruit peeling technology gave wings to the development of oil peonies.

With the development of science and technology and the mechanization of processing equipment, an advanced mechanical equipment can successfully peel off the black shell of peony seed, and after treatment, the color of peony seed oil is similar to that of peanut oil and soybean oil.

The nutritional value of α-linolenic acid has been paid more and more attention. The World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations decided to promote α-linolenic acid all over the world as early as 1993. In recent years, the scientific community in China has also realized the importance of α-linolenic acid to human health. Therefore, peony seed oil rich in α-linolenic acid gradually shows the value of popularization.

In 2006, various components of peony seed oil were detected in the laboratory of Chinese Academy of Forestry Sciences. The results show that the content of various elements beneficial to human health in peony seed oil is very high, and it is a kind of high-end edible oil. After the test results of peony seed oil came out, Heze carried out a small-scale, professional experimental production and achieved success. In April 2010, the State Forestry Administration organized a special discussion meeting on the development of oil peonies attended by more than 50 experts from 3 academicians in Heze. Academician Yin Weilun, Academician Li Wenhua, Academician Shu Huairui and experts at the meeting agreed that the development of oil peony base in Heze City, Shandong Province has broad prospects and considerable benefits, and the scientific conclusions of experts have also found a scientific theoretical basis for the development of oil peonies in the future.

In order to promote oil peonies to the north and south of the country that are suitable for planting, Li Yucai wrote articles and recommended them, while he was busy giving lectures at the grass-roots level to drum and call for the development of oil peonies. With a computer, a Mike and a dialect of Lunan, Li Yucai is a mobile classroom. Over the past few years, he has been in all provinces and cities except Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

Li Yucai is gratified that the General Office of the State Council has just issued the opinions of the General Office of the State Council on speeding up the development of woody oil industry, and has put the development of oil peonies in a prominent position.

At present, the development plans of oil peony in various provinces and cities of our country have been issued one after another. For example, Shandong Province plans to develop 3.7 million mu of oil peony by 2020, Heze City alone plans to develop 2 million mu, and Shaanxi Province plans to develop 2 million mu by 2020. At present, all the areas suitable for the growth of oil peony have set off an upsurge in the development of oil peony, and the area of raising seedlings and planting has increased geometrically.

The Dream of Oil Peony

To promote oil peonies, Li Yucai attaches most importance to the importance of food safety in China.

In 2013, China imported 9.221 million tons of edible vegetable oil such as palm oil, olive oil, soybean oil and rapeseed, and 67.835 million tons of edible oilseeds such as soybeans and rapeseed, with a total import volume of 50.34 billion US dollars. At present, China's external dependence on edible oil has exceeded 60%, exceeding the international safety early warning line. Among the edible oils consumed every year in our country, middle and low-end edible oils such as blended oil, soybean oil and rapeseed oil occupy nearly 85% of the market share, and problems such as the safety of bulk oil and the danger to the health of gutter oil are a serious threat to people's health. "

"in addition, the cold and drought tolerance of oil peony also has the conditions for national promotion. China is one of the countries with the most serious desertification in the world. the climate in these areas is relatively bad, with drought, little rain, high cold and barren land, and the planting conditions of oil peony are very extensive. " Li Yucai said, for example, "Fengdan peonies in Fenghuangshan area of Tongling, Anhui Province, did not rain for eight months and did not die of drought. Purple spot peony species in Lanzhou, Gansu Province, on high cold, dry and barren mountains above sea level of 2000 meters above sea level, can grow with rainfall of only 300mm and produce seeds of about 400jin per mu, and the content of α-linolenic acid in peony seed oil produced in this place is as high as 49%." Li Yucai said.

It is precisely because the oil peony has high yield, high oil yield, good quality, developed root system, strong fleshy root system, and does not need to change stubble for 30 to 50 years after planting. It effectively avoids the soil and water loss caused by ploughing every year of traditional food crops, and plays an important role in preventing wind and fixing sand and soil and water conservation, and is one of the preferred shrub species for ecological protection and construction.

"Oil peony integrates ecological, economic and social benefits, and the development of oil peony is one of the important practices to promote the construction of ecological civilization." Li Yucai told the reporter his dream: he hoped that everyone in the country could eat 10 jin of peony seed oil every year, and he said he would spend his whole life to realize his "peony dream."