Recently, Shanxi Qikou Red Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. successfully passed the pre‑audit for China Forest Certification (CFCC), covering both the Chain of Custody (CoC) and Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP) operations. The certified product is “Qikou Red” brand dried jujubes, marking a crucial step toward standardized and sustainable operations in the company’s jujube cultivation and dried jujube production sectors.

To promote the development of the jujube industry, enhance corporate standardization and standardized management practices, build strong brands, and strengthen product market competitiveness, Shanxi Qikou Red Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. has been actively pursuing forest certification. By the end of 2024, building on its preliminary planning efforts, the company reviewed its existing operations and management system and prepared a series of system documents, including the “Shanxi Qikou Red Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. Jujube Business Development Plan (2025–2030),” the “Shanxi Qikou Red Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. CFCC Certification Management Manual,” the “Shanxi Qikou Red Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. Production and Sales Chain Supervision Procedure Document Compilation,” and the “Jujube Business Management System Compilation.” The company also completed the formulation of implementation plans and conducted a series of internal audits and assessments. In April 2025, it formally entrusted a third-party organization to conduct the audit.

This preliminary review was conducted in accordance with the requirements of standards such as “China Forest Certification – Forest Management” (GB/T 28951–2021), “China Forest Certification – Non‑Wood Forest Products Management” (GB/T 39358–2020), and “China Forest Certification – Chain of Custody” (GB/T 28951–2024). The audit team concluded that the operational system of Qikou Red Company is generally effective, and the primary audit date can be scheduled once further corrective actions and improvements have been implemented.

Shanxi Qikou Red Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. was founded in September 2010 and is located in Lin County, Shanxi Province. As an agricultural technology enterprise that centers on the jujube (sour jujube and red jujube) industry while expanding into areas such as nuts and fruit products, the company integrates planting, processing, sales, and foreign trade exports. The company operates over 100 hectares of red jujube cultivation bases and a 4,000-square-meter food production facility, including six state-of-the-art fresh and dried fruit production lines with an annual output capacity of up to 2,000 tons of dried and fresh fruits, generating an annual output value exceeding 40 million yuan.

For a long time, red dates have been a distinctive agricultural specialty and a pillar industry in Lin County’s economic forestry sector. However, as the nationwide area planted with red dates and their total output have surged, market supply has outpaced demand, leaving the red date market in Lin County in a slump. To address this challenge, Shanxi Qikou Hong Agricultural Science and Technology Co., Ltd. has leveraged the abundant wild jujube resources in the middle reaches of the Yellow River in Lin County. With technical support from research institutions, the company has actively adopted innovative techniques for grafting red date trees onto jujube rootstock, transforming red date orchards into jujube forests that deliver significantly higher economic returns.

The pulp of jujube fruits is rich in nutrients and possesses significant dietary and therapeutic value, making it a premium raw material for processing health‑promoting foods and beverages. As one of the core production areas for authentic medicinal jujubes, Lin County’s jujubes are renowned nationwide for their high kernel yield and superior medicinal properties. According to statistics, in 2022, Lin County’s wild jujube output exceeded 10,000 tons; calculating at 20,000 yuan per ton, this single commodity alone enabled farmers across the county to increase their incomes by 200 million yuan, and the local population has a strong desire to develop the jujube industry.