Farmers busy harvesting lotus roots in Liuzhou, S China's Guangxi

A farmer harvests lotus roots in a lotus pond in Liujiang district, Liuzhou city, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Photo/People's Daily Online)

Farmers have been harvesting lotus roots recently in Liujiang district, Liuzhou city, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Lotus roots in about 40,000 mu (2,666 hectares) of lotus ponds in Liujiang district can be harvested this summer, and reaches 21,000 mu in the district’s Baipeng township.

"Lotus roots enter their peak season for sales in Baipeng. The purchase price of lotus roots is about 6.6 yuan ($0.91) per kilogram," said Qin Bingliu, head of a local lotus roots cooperative.

The township's lotus roots are mainly sold to regions including Beijing, northwest China's Shaanxi Province and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and east China's Shandong Province, and are in demand because they taste good, Qin added.

The total planting area of lotus roots in Liujiang district reaches about 64,000 mu. The annual yield of lotus roots in the district is expected to exceed 120,000 tonnes, with a total value of 600 million yuan.

The Liujiang lotus root was recognized as a geographical indication product in China. Liujiang district is the largest planting base of double-cropping lotus roots in the country.

The district attracts tourists during the blooming season of lotus flowers every year. In 2022, it received 5.1 million tourist visits, with tourism consumption reaching 5.5 billion yuan.