Ginseng trade agreement with China could be worth $12M over five years

By WisBusiness.com Staff

Gov. Jim Doyle announced a trade agreement between the Wisconsin Ginseng Board and a Chinese company today he said will result in $12 million for state producers over the next five years.

The agreement, which stems from Doyle’s trade mission to Asia in September, will make the Tong Ren Tang company the exclusive distributor of Wisconsin ginseng in China. The Badger State produces some 95 percent of all ginseng produced in the U.S.

“Wisconsin is far and away the United States’ largest producer of ginseng, and China is our number one market,” Doyle said in a statement. “I’ve worked hard towards building business partnerships in China, and this agreement exemplifies the work that evolves from government and private industry partnering on trade missions to expand Wisconsin’s market share around the world.”