US’ once exclusive ginseng crop – a TCM favourite in China – still withering under trade war despite a 5-year search for relief
- China began to levy tariffs of up to 40 per cent on US exports of ginseng after former US president Donald Trump kicked off his trade war in 2018
- Local officials and farmers have found legislators unwilling to push for change, with one Wisconsin grower told ‘we’re not talking to China’
Jiang Mingtao’s ginseng farm in the US state of Wisconsin has halved production since China began levying tariffs of up to 40 per cent on the coveted plant known for its health benefits five years ago.
Beijing made the move against the root, which Chinese consumers prize to boost immunity and ease certain chronic diseases, in 2018 as former US president Donald Trump kicked off his trade war with China.
With wholesaling to China no longer profitable, China-born Jiang has tried switching to carrots and corn, but neither crop brings in the kind of money made from ginseng.
The former doctor, who had always wanted to run a business, operates a farm in Marathon County, a tract of the Midwestern state Wisconsin and the source of most China-bound ginseng, thanks to its cool climate and unique topsoil composition.
“Not much else to grow,” said Jiang, who started farming 14 years ago after obtaining a PhD in Canada and moving to Wisconsin to work as a university research fellow.
“I am hanging in with the government’s payroll protection plan and a small business loan from the government.”