China's first aloe vera production base using membrane-separating technology is now operating in southwest China's Yunnan Province, reports the Xinhua News Agency.
The unit, which has been built by Wanlu Biology Company in Yunnan Province, covers more than 333 hectares and cost over 10 million yuan (€1.4m). The company claims its annual output will be more than 10,000 tons.
The factory will use an advanced membrane-separating technology which allows the extraction of the aloe vera juice under normal temperatures thus protecting the ingredients required for industrial processing. The World Aloe Scientific Association has approved the technology.
Known as a panacea and often referred to as a natural beautician or family doctor, the fleshy, evergreen plant is used in cosmetics, food additives, health care and for medicinal purposes.
China is one of the few countries with an ideal natural environment for large-scale planting of aloes, but it is hampered by poor production and processing technology and has had to import aloes from America, Japan and the Republic of Korea.
The new production base is expected to meet the domestic demand and also provide high-quality processed aloe vera to the global market.
China's current annual output of aloe vera is around €688.51million, only one per cent of the world's total volume.