Bozhou’s medicinal herb exports exceed US$44 million in first four months of 2026

The city of Bozhou in Anhui Province, eastern China, exported medicinal herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine worth approximately US$44.7 million during the first four months of 2026, representing a 37 per cent increase compared with the same period last year. This was reported by the Belt and Road News Network (BRNN), a partner of TV BRICS.

In 2025, the total value of Bozhou’s imports and exports of medicinal plant materials reached approximately US$114 million, accounting for nearly 90 per cent of Anhui Province’s overall trade in the sector.

Bozhou has been closely associated with medicinal herbs for more than a thousand years. Every day, more than 2,800 varieties of traditional Chinese medicinal plants are traded at its specialised market. Merchants and buyers from across China gather there, while annual trade turnover exceeds US$8.2 billion.

Local manufacturers are increasingly moving beyond the export of raw materials towards the production of higher value-added goods. They are securing patents and introducing specialised processing technologies designed to ensure standardised product quality. To maintain the characteristics of medicinal plants, producers work directly with farmers, providing agronomic support and purchasing raw materials at prices above market rates.

According to the Bozhou Pharmaceutical Industry Development Bureau, strong product quality combined with a range of supportive government measures has accelerated the expansion of Bozhou’s pharmaceutical products into international markets.

For example, one local producer increased its annual export volume to US$4 million after entering the markets of Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia. The success was attributed to adapting products to local requirements, including labelling in national languages and packaging formats familiar to local consumers. Traditional Chinese medicine products such as Paeonia lactiflora (Chinese peony), Atractylodes macrocephala, and liquorice have become particularly popular in Southeast Asian markets.

In September 2024, Bozhou established the permanent secretariat of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Cooperation Council under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the Asia-Pacific free trade agreement. This enabled the city to strengthen cooperation with six member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and 11 industry associations. At present, 210 enterprises from Bozhou maintain trade relations with RCEP member countries.