Villagers harvest loofah gourds. (Photo courtesy of the Party organization department of Qinnan district)

An agricultural cooperative in Shadong village, Qinnan district of Qinzhou, south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, has introduced disease-resistant loofah gourds to help local farmers increase income.

In addition to free saplings, the cooperative offered a subsidy of 150 yuan per mu (1 mu is 667 square meters) to encourage seven households to grow loofah gourds in 23 mu of uncultivated land under the support of local government, according to Huang Shiwen, head of the cooperative.

The cooperative hired up to more than 50 locals at the busiest time, including 10 impoverished villagers, Huang noted, adding that they could receive a monthly salary of 3,000 to 4,000 yuan.

"I can earn about 100 yuan per day," said Zhang Dong, a villager who worked at the cooperative. "I couldn’t find a job here without village industries. Now I can work close to home and take care of my family."