LEIYANG, China, Dec. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Chinese tea oil supplier Hunan Gintoten Camellia Technology & Development ("Gintoten" or "the company") filed a formal application to the State Council, the Land and Resources Bureau, Bureau of Oceanography of the People's Republic of China on 25 December, 2012, seeking Chinese government approval to lease Diaoyu Island and surrounding islets.

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Gintoten said in the application that China is heavily dependent on imported edible oil and its dependence on imports exceeds 60 percent. Foreign-owned companies have been the dominant voice in setting the price of edible oil in China. However, the tea oil tree, a unique 100-percent natural advanced oil-bearing domestic plant and one of the world's four major woody oil-bearing plants, can serve as an offset. As a result, speeding up the development of China's domestic tea oil industry and increasing the annual output of tea oil is a key step that needs to be taken in order to safeguard China's grain and oil security.

Gintoten is a large-scale high-tech agricultural leader specializing in the research, development, production and sales of tea oil products across China. The company, recognized as the research center for tea oil products and, as rated by the Chinese government, a state-level bio-industry incubation facility, is well known for its Gintoten-branded tea oil products nationwide. The company noted in the application that as Diaoyu Island and nearby islets are at the same latitude as Hengyang, the main producing region for tea oil in China, and substrates such as vermiculite, pearlite and rock wool on Diaoyu Island are ideal for conducting soilless culture high-tech trials, the company has publicly announced its application to lease the islands for breeding tea oil tree seedlings and plans to develop the islands into a leading production facility for the seedlings.

Gintoten Camellia also said that if it is able to successfully lease the Diaoyu Islands, it will abide by the guidance provided in the central Chinese government's rural work conferences, kicking off technological trials using new energies and new technologies, including solar and wind, that keep greenhouses at a constant temperature and water-saving irrigation techniques. An essential element of the mission is to support the safety of the country's food supply and efficiency in agricultural production and distribution, ensuring both food security and increased income for farmers, while actively promoting the development of modern agriculture.

About Hunan Gintoten Camellia Technology & Development

Founded in June 2003, Hunan Gintoten Camellia Technology & Development Co., Ltd., with production facilities located in Dongjiang Economic Development Zone in Leiyang, Hengyang, Hunan province, is the agricultural leader specializing in the research, development, production and marketing of camellia oil products in China. As the owner of the over 1,000-square kilometer high-quality oil-tea forest in Leiyang known as "Hunan Oil Sea" and the South Mountain (known and revered locally as "longevity mountain") Green Port production base, the company relies on the yield-increasing demonstration base of oil-tea camellia designated by the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Today, Gintoten is the home of the Camellia Oil Engineering Research Center of Hunan Province, a national industry incubation base and high-tech facility. The company, in strategic development partnerships with multiple institutes for advanced study across China, undertakes national research programs and holds a number of patents and inventions. Many of its products filled critical gaps in the domestic market and won notable awards such as the Gold Award at the Hunan Agricultural Fair. The company deploys the internationally recognized 5S low-temperature cold pressing process, which enables computer-controlled automated production throughout the entire work flow.

In line with the company's stated mission of having a world focus while basing its operations in rural areas and providing a better life to tea growers so they can become net contributors to society, Gintoten has camellia oil demonstration bases in both Hunan and Jiangxi provinces and operates on a model that brings together three elements: the company + the production bases + the farmers. The company has continuously expanded its industry chain, developed new products and entered new markets with an operational concept that includes several key directives: innovation with technologies, expansion with a strong brand, strength through strict management and taking the lead in profit.

Gintoten, shouldering major social responsibilities in its role as China's camellia oil specialist and expert, aims to transform itself into a renowned camellia oil brand across the country, as it provides a better life to tea growers, supplies Chinese consumers with quality oils and helps Chinese-made camellia oil step into the international arena.

SOURCE Hunan Gintoten Camellia Technology & Development Co., Ltd