Analysis of Sorghum Seed Industry Profile in China and Hebei Province and the Concurrent Baijiu Industry Since the Implementation of the Registration System

After the implementation of the Administrative Measures for Registration of Non-major Agricultural Crop Varieties in 2017, the sorghum industry in China entered a phase of standardized development. Based on the registration information from the Big Data Platform for the Seed Industry of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, this study analyzed 986 registered sorghum varieties from 2017 to 2024. By extracting data on registration provinces, usage types, breeding entities, and suitable planting areas, the following results were obtained: (1) Variety registration exhibited significant regional concentration, covering 19 provinces (municipalities and autonomous regions). Among these, Jilin, Inner Mongolia, and Heilongjiang accounted for 59.64% of the total registrations, establishing them as core breeding regions. This is closely related to the local land resources, climatic conditions, and foundation for large-scale cultivation. (2) In terms of usage distribution, varieties for brewing purposes dominated absolutely, accounting for 74.75%, while forage and edible varieties together constituted only 16.53%, highlighting sorghum's core positioning as a raw material for liquor-making. (3) Regarding breeding entities, universities and research institutions accounted for 47.16%, and enterprises accounted for 27.89%, together comprising 75.05%. This indicates that the current landscape of variety development is primarily “research-institution-led, supplemented by enterprises”, although the gradually increasing proportion of individual breeders is also noteworthy. (4) A total of 33 varieties (3.35%) were registered in Hebei Province, of which 18 (54.56%) have been commercialized. This variety transfer rate is higher than the national average, reflecting that the sorghum varieties registered in Hebei Province are more aligned with market demand. (5) Regarding industrialization, China’s Baijiu industry exhibited a trend of “declining output with increasing efficiency” from 2016 to 2024. The output of Baijiu enterprises above designated size decreased by 69.49%, while their business turnover increased by 30% and profit surged by 214.8%. This trend was consistent in Hebei Province, where output decreased by 37.03%, but turnover and profit increased by 34.24% and 40.20%, respectively. This demonstrates an increasingly urgent demand for high-quality brewing sorghum within the Baijiu industry. These findings indicate a significant increase in the number of registered sorghum varieties in China, with the varietal structure highly aligned with the quality upgrading needs of the Baijiu industry. The breeding advantages of the Northeast region have laid the foundation for securing industrial raw materials. However, shortcomings persist: low enterprise participation in breeding, a weak connection between variety innovation and industrial demand, uneven regional registration distribution, insufficient adaptability of varieties in major southern Baijiu-producing areas, and over-concentration in usage with under-exploitation of diverse value. Future efforts require strengthening policy and technological support to promote integration across the entire industry chain. This includes directionally breeding high-quality varieties with specific flavor profiles and process adaptability, extending the processing industry chain, and developing high-value-added products such as multi-functional feed, to foster the high-quality development of the sorghum industry.