With the strong support of the district party committee and government, the farmers’ cooperative for lotus root planting in Zhuangmen Village has established bases and improved standardized lotus root planting. It gradually achieved the goal of continuous expansion of scale, optimization of variety structure, and improvement of efficiency.

 

Through a model of company + cooperative + base + farmers, new bases in 9 counties and districts have been developed, with 1,900 planting farmers and a planting area of more than 667 hectares. 

 

Since last year, the cooperative has planted vegetables such as Chinese cabbage, radish and garlic sprouts on the lotus root land left idle in winter. This practice proves not only an innovation of agricultural planting patterns, but also a boost to income of nearby villagers and rural revitalization.

 

“At present, we adopt the mode of crop rotation. In spring, we can plant lotus roots and lotus flowers, and in winter we grow vegetables. Therefore, the land will not be laid idle, and neither is the labor. This will help increase income for farmers,” said Li Hong, director of the cooperative. 

 

Up to now, the cooperative has reclaimed 10 hectares of vegetable experimental fields with idle lotus root land, providing more than 1,200 jobs. It is expected that more than 200,000 kg vegetables will be harvested this season, with sales to reach 800,000 yuan.