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Gutian farmers capitalize on farming of mushrooms

By LI DA | China Daily Global | Updated: 2022-12-16

Thousands of local residents have relied on the industry to lift them out of poverty

Gutian county in the city of Ningde in Fujian province is known nationwide as the "capital of tremella mushrooms". The industry is playing a crucial role in local poverty alleviation and rural vitalization.

"Last year, I planted four batches of tremella mushrooms, totaling over 100,000 tubes, and earned a direct income of more than 30,000 yuan ($4,296)," said Ding Lixia, a mushroom farmer in Sudun village.

With the support of poverty alleviation funds, Sudun has built 24 standard mushroom cultivation houses for farmers to rent.

"Thanks to the cultivation houses, I have an annual fixed income. Growing tremella has really helped me shake off poverty," Ding said.

The cultivation houses can be seen everywhere in Sudun. More than 70 percent of the villagers are engaged in growing tremella. Per capita annual income from tremella cultivation in the village is more than 20,000 yuan.

At present, Gutian county produces nearly 900,000 metric tons of edible mushrooms each year, and the output value of the entire industry chain is nearly 22 billion yuan. Thousands of local farmers have relied on mushroom farming to lift themselves out of poverty.

Gutian lies on mountainous terrain with little farmland. Its residents had battled against poverty for a long time. In 1987, the county's per capita disposable income of farmers was just 493 yuan. The locals began to search for a way out of poverty and mushroom farming was seen as one of the solutions.

Over the past decades, the mushroom industry has achieved substantial growth. A string of successful tests were conducted on bag cultivation of tremella mushrooms and other varieties.

Gutian has led the country in initiating a boom in the production of tremella mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, bamboo fungi, and other types of edible mushrooms.

The mushroom industry in Gutian has gradually grown into a pillar of the rural economy and the main pathway by which farmers shook off poverty and increased their wealth.

Over the past few decades, local residents have maximized the opportunity offered by the booming edible mushroom market.

Gutian now produces 38 different types of mushrooms, of which more than 20 have achieved large-scale production. It has created a development model of continuously expanding the scale of production for major species while also developing the production of rare species.

At the same time, producers are also exploring agrivoltaic models that combine agriculture and photovoltaic energy generation, so as to pursue a green development path.

Ye Jianhong, head of Gutian Jianhong Agricultural Development Co, said: "Over the past 10 years, our company has continuously transformed itself, achieving industrialization of edible mushroom production, processing and sales.

"We now have two production bases with 115 cultivation rooms and one product packaging workshop. The annual output value is more than 20 million yuan, and we have developed an industrial pattern involving companies, cooperatives, farmers and production bases."

Thanks to the expansion of edible mushroom production, people in Gutian county have gradually become prosperous. The per capita disposable income of farmers in the county has remained the highest in Ningde city for 17 consecutive years.

In 2021, Gutian's GDP reached 22.34 billion yuan and the per capita disposable income of rural residents exceeded 22,000 yuan.

More than 300,000 people are directly engaged in the edible mushroom industry, and 70 percent of the total agricultural output value and 70 percent of farmers' cash income are derived from mushrooms.

Xu Feng, head of the Gutian county government, said: "Mushrooms are the magic weapon the people of Gutian have deployed to eliminate poverty and build their wealth.

"The industry is in the blood of local residents and has taken root in every aspect of their lives. Of the 289 villages or communities in Gutian, 235 are dedicated to the production of edible mushrooms.

"By the end of 2018, all poor households in Gutian were lifted out of poverty, and mushrooms played a major role in this achievement."

Using mushroom production as a foundation, Gutian has seized the momentum to develop new business models. It has promoted deep processing of mushrooms, developed a series of products using mushrooms as raw materials, and boosted distribution, rural e-commerce, leisure agriculture, rural tourism, and other business models.

Gao Yiqing, Party secretary of Banzhong village, said: "In recent years, tourism has become an important part of our village. We have developed several tourist projects, welcoming more than 3,000 visitors a month.

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Nine edible mushroom varieties produced in Gutian. The county currently cultivates 38 varieties of mushrooms, with more than 20 of them in large-scale production. CHINA DAILY

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