The Ningxia National Open Development Comprehensive Pilot Zone for the Grape and Wine Industry was officially launched on July 10, the first of its kind tailored for a specific industry. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The Ningxia National Open Development Comprehensive Pilot Zone for the Grape and Wine Industry was officially launched on July 10, the first of its kind tailored for a specific industry.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the People's Government of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region jointly proposed to build Ningxia wine into a first-class industry in five years, with a registered value of 100 billion yuan, marking the entry of the local wine into the national strategy.

A roundtable meeting in capital city Yinchuan on July 9 saw top experts from the pilot zone committee speak candidly on innovating their operating mechanism to ensure healthy and efficient development.

The Ningxia National Open Development Comprehensive Pilot Zone for the Grape and Wine Industry was officially launched on July 10, the first of its kind tailored for a specific industry. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Focusing on accelerating the construction of "Internet +" smart wineries, experts suggested the local wine industry improves ecological advantages, integrate development of wine and cultural tourism, and apply green organic standardization.

The committee members found common ground on 13 proposals, with an emphasis on cultivating Chinese wine brands and culture at the east foot of Helan Mountain. The China Wine Index Research Institute will be established to provide consumers with a visual reference standard for purchasing wine. Green organic standardized vineyards will be built to lead the industry toward high-end development.

Ningxia will further leverage its advantages – its grape output value per mu exceeding 50,000 yuan -to double the scale of planting within five years, allowing local farmers to benefit more from the value-added industry and providing a model for rural revitalization.

Ningxia wine, one of the nine key industries in the region thanks to the area's unique terroir and cultivating conditions, is benchmarking the world's major producing areas to create branded winery clusters. Ningxia has 550,000 mu of wine grapes at present, accounting for more than a quarter of the country. Its 101 wineries, with an annual output of 130 million bottles, have won many international awards and accounted for more than 60 percent of wine awards earned across China.