Plant extract industry urgently needs to be upgraded

Different from previous years, the 8th World Pharmaceutical Raw Material Medicine China Exhibition held recently opened up a natural extract area for the first time. Hundreds of related companies exhibited, of which the plant extracts companies are most active. The exhibition also held the Forum on Innovation and Development of China's Plant Extract Industry, and the opinions of experts and members of the business community on topics such as the import and export of Chinese plant extracts.
According to Liu Zhanglin, director of the Department of Chinese Medicine of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce for the Import and Export of Medicines and Health Products, the export volume of plant extracts in China in 2007 was US$476 million, which was slightly lower than the US$479 million in 2006. Customs statistics show that the export growth of plant extracts in China from January to April this year was 5%, which slowed down after several years of high growth. The slowdown is due to the dual pressure on the domestic plant extract industry from the international market and domestic competition.
In the international market, more and more countries have introduced laws and regulations concerning plant extracts, which have brought new challenges to China's plant extracts industry. However, the updating and learning of these laws and regulations by Chinese companies has not been put in place; countries are constantly improving plant extracts. The quality standards, detection standards for pesticide residues, and heavy metal content have been raised, thus forming a test for China's export products; the unqualified products of individual companies have affected the overall international image of Chinese plant extracts.
The pressure on the domestic market mainly comes from the industry's long-term 'scattered, small, chaotic' situation. There are more than 200 professional extract companies in China, and there are about 100 food additive companies and other related companies. Nearly 70% of them have entered the plant extract industry since 2001. Domestic enterprises are generally young and small-scale, lacking market development and technological research and development forces. Product varieties and specifications are similar. They mainly rely on low-cost, low-price participation in international competition, and lack of competitive international brands.
According to Li Chunhua, general manager of Beijing Green Jinke Biotechnology Co., Ltd., the fundamental problem in the plant extracts industry is the instability of product quality. This is in contrast to the weak quality awareness of enterprises, which emphasizes only the main components and does not pay attention to details. He attributed the main problems of the plant extracts industry to three aspects: the incomplete quality management system, the lack of defense based on post-event quality management, the inability of detection methods to achieve precise index monitoring, weak brand awareness, and the eagerness of the company for quick success.
At the Forum on Innovation and Development of China's Plant Extract Industry, 'industry must be upgraded as soon as possible' becomes a common voice of participants. Experts called for the government's competent authorities to speed up the establishment of various standards in the industry, gradually narrow the differences between China's and western countries' quality standards, improve and update various food and drug safety laws and regulations, improve product testing standards, and strengthen law enforcement. Strictly supervise the implementation of corporate laws and regulations.
According to the relevant officials of the AQSIQ Import and Export Food Safety Bureau, to ensure quality and safety, we must promote the 'company + base + standardization' production management model, guide enterprises to take the road of scale, intensive and standardized development, and at the same time from the source of supervision, The four aspects of factory supervision, product supervision and integrity formed 10 comprehensive management systems.
Du Minhua, deputy general manager of Zhejiang Kangenbei Plant Extract Co., Ltd. believes that enterprises can jump out of the price of 'Red Sea' and cooperate with first-rate international buyers by improving their own quality management to reach the international advanced level. To this end, Connbei is prepared to work with several other companies to invite foreign experts to conduct relevant training and certification.
Li Chunhua said that Chinese companies must establish corporate brands and product brands when entering international markets. They should establish a quality management team familiar with international laws and regulations, strengthen research on changes in foreign pharmaceutical and food related regulations and changes in standards, and ensure timely updates of information and channels. At the same time, it is also very important to strengthen the development of processes and improve the level of detection.