According to the Nanyang Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Development Bureau, there are 79 varieties of Chinese medicinal materials planted in the city, with a planting area of more than 1.8 million mu and an annual output value of more than 5 billion yuan ($7.73 million).

The industry has driven 300,000 farmers to increase their income, the bureau added.

Nanyang City is the hometown of the "medical saint" Zhang Zhongjing. It is also a national advanced city for grassroots traditional Chinese medicine work, a national comprehensive reform pilot zone for traditional Chinese medicine, and a key regional city in terms of taking the lead in the national Chinese medicine service trade.

In recent years, the Nanyang Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government have promoted the high-quality development of Chinese medicine and have achieved remarkable results.

With the development of the Chinese medicine industry, the planting of Chinese medicinal materials in Nanyang has been further expanded.

The city has established 17 standardized Chinese medicinal material planting bases to cultivate and expand its wormwood industry. The wormwood planting area is 240,000 mu, with 1,529 registered companies. Of these, nearly 70 companies have an annual output value of more than 20 million yuan, nearly 30 companies have an annual output value of more than 50 million yuan, and three companies have a value of more than 100 million yuan. Wormwood accounts for more than 70 percent of the national market, supporting the cultivation of 39 Chinese medicine companies. The city's annual sales revenue of Chinese medicine products exceeds 20 billion yuan.