Forest foods from 18 provinces and regions saw brisk trading during the Spring Festival holiday at the Hunan Changde International Agricultural Products Trading Center, as daily volumes jumped sharply from normal levels.

"Products such as Sichuan peppercorns, Shanxi spice and Yunnan blueberries are selling very well," said Sun Kuili, deputy general manager of the center. "Recently, forest products have been trading at about 60 tonnes per day, roughly four times the usual volume."

Ahead of the Spring Festival shopping rush, the trading center signed supply agreements for 100,000 tonnes of goods with 18 major production regions including Hunan, Hubei and Yunnan provinces.

Forest foods are now China's third-largest category of agricultural products after grain and vegetables. They mainly come from economic forests – trees that produce edible oils, nuts and fruits – as well as woody beverages such as tea and coffee and seasonings including peppercorns. Under-forest products such as mushrooms are also included.

According to data from the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, China's annual forest food output reached more than 240 million tonnes in 2025. The total output value of the forestry and grassland industry approached 11 trillion yuan ($1.5 trillion).

A county in Yunnan Province, known as the "hometown of mangoes," local firms are moving beyond fresh fruit sales. New production lines now produce mango juice, dried mango and mango vinegar. The sales networks span the country and extend to overseas markets.

In Jiangxi Province, forest foods have formed six major industry clusters. These include oil tea, bamboo shoots, flavor and fragrance products, specialty forest foods, forest-based medicinal herbs and edible fungi. 

During the 2025 summer harvest, an ecological forest farm in Jiangxi Province collected edible fungi such as fresh wood ear mushrooms. Output rose about 10 percent after a new sprinkler irrigation system improved water supply at the cultivation base.

Forest land provides strong support for the under-forest planting. In 2025, Heilongjiang Province's under-forest economy generated more than 100 billion yuan ($14.5 billion) in output value, up over 6 percent year on year.

Traditional Chinese medicinal herbs are another pillar of the sector. In Chenzhou, Hunan Province, a 33-hectare base harvested 40 tonnes of the herb named zhike. The site has expanded from selling raw materials to running a full production chain with 14 processing stages. The added value of its herbal products has risen more than fivefold.