Zengcheng in S China's Guangzhou promotes featured industries

Zengcheng district in Guangzhou city, south China's Guangdong Province has boosted the image of its featured agricultural products such as Simiao Rice, a renowned rice variety, and late flowering Chinese cabbages, promoted the development of featured industries, and extended the industrial chain of such sectors.

"The Simiao Rice grows well this year. The average yield per mu (one mu equals 667 square meters) of early rice reached 400 kilograms. We are expected to see a bumper harvest of late rice," said Shen Yanfen, a major grain grower in the district.

Photo shows rice fields in the Simiao Rice modern agricultural industrial park in Zengcheng district, Guangzhou city, south China's Guangdong Province. (Photo courtesy of the publicity department of the Party committee of Zengcheng district)

A Simiao Rice modern agricultural industrial park was built in the district, extending the industrial chain that covers seeds, seed breeding, management, drying, and sales of Simiao Rice, said Luo Fangfang, an executive of Zengcheng Agriculture Investment Group.

The industrial park has established a platform to integrate the resources of villages and enterprises, and encourage farmers to participate in the operations of new agribusinesses with their resources. It has also provided services to help small agricultural households adapt to modern methods. Since the beginning of this year, the per capita disposable income for farmers in the industrial park has increased by 32 percent compared to before the industrial park was established.

During the National Day holiday that ended on Oct. 6, rice fields in Zengcheng became popular tourist destinations. Activities such as trips to rice fields and farming experience attracted tourists.

Photo shows Shen Yanfen (front), a major grain grower in Zengcheng district, Guangzhou city, south China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)

"The development of the whole industrial chain of the Simiao Rice industry lets us see the future of the sector and enhances our confidence in growing rice," said Shen.

Since 2004, Zengcheng has been promoting late flowering Chinese cabbages. In recent years, the district has established a provincial-level late flowering Chinese cabbage modern agricultural industrial park and a big data platform focusing on the late flowering Chinese cabbage industry to upgrade the sector.

The industrial park offers guidance on standardized planting to farmers and purchases late flowering Chinese cabbages from them so that they don't have to worry about sales, according to Zhang Yueyong, a major late flowering Chinese cabbage grower in the district's Xiaolou township.

The planting area of late flowering Chinese cabbages has reached nearly 60,000 mu in Zengcheng. Over 13,000 farmers grow the cabbage, with an annual output worth 600 million yuan ($82.1 million).

Photo shows a view of the provincial-level late flowering Chinese cabbage modern agricultural industrial park in Zengcheng district, Guangzhou city, south China's Guangdong Province. (Photo courtesy of the publicity department of the Party committee of Zengcheng district)

So far, the value of regional brands for local agricultural specialties in Zengcheng, including Simiao Rice, lychees and late flowering Chinese cabbages, has exceeded 11 billion yuan.

Developing featured industries is an important way to realize rural revitalization, said an official with the bureau of agriculture and rural affairs of Zengcheng district, adding that the district will further boost the development of featured industries to help more farmers earn more.