Thriving goji berry industry brings wealth to locals in county of NW China's Qinghai

Dulan county in Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province has accelerated the development of the goji berry industry in recent years, aiming to build the country's largest selenium-rich goji berry cultivation base.

Dulan boasts of suitable climate conditions for goji berry cultivation. So far, 213,300 mu (14,220 hectares) of goji berries have been planted in the county, accounting for a third of the province's total. The goji berry industry has emerged as the most promising pillar industry that promotes agricultural efficiency, increases the incomes of farmers and herdsmen, and boosts rural revitalization in the county.

Villagers sun-dry goji berry fruits in Nuomuhong village, Dulan county, northwest China's Qinghai Province. (People's Daily/He Yong)

Ding Ling, a 53-year-old major goji berry grower in the county, planted goji berries on 80 mu of land this year. "I can earn at least 5,000 yuan ($700) per mu," Ding said.

The plowing, sowing and pest control for Ding's goji berries are mechanized, according to the grower. "Sci-tech experts dispatched by authorities at the provincial, prefecture and county levels provide comprehensive services guidance on aspects like variety selection, seedling management, and soil fertility," Ding said.

"A water-fertilizer irrigation system delivers water and fertilizers directly to each goji berry plant. This prevents leakage and waste, and saves water and fertilizers as well as time and energy for me," Ding added.

In addition to bringing prosperity to local growers, the county's thriving goji industry has also fattened the wallets of migrant workers engaging in the sector. The county has given full play to its 69 primary-level employment service centers to meet the labor demands of enterprises and major growers during the goji berry harvest season.

"I can earn 200 yuan per day from harvesting goji berries from July to October every year," said 47-year-old Zhao Cai’e, who came from Pingliang city in northwest China's Gansu Province. This year marked the fourth year that Zhao harvested goji berries in Dulan county. The employer provided Zhao with nearly 20,000 yuan for three months, as well as food and accommodations.

There are nearly 40,000 workers from provinces like Henan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan and Gansu harvesting goji berries in Dulan, said Liu Guiyao, Party chief of the county.

"Goji berries can be used as food and medicine. The leaves of the plant can be used to make tea. Goji seeds can be used to make oil, and the plant's branches are great livestock feed," said Liu Huawei, director of the management committee of the Dulan modern agricultural industrial park.

Dozens of goji berry enterprises in Dulan county have developed a variety of goji products, including freeze-dried goji fruits, juices, seed oil capsules, and wine. The county's goji berry industry is becoming more efficient, safe, circular and integrated.

Dulan has certified 85,000 mu of green food planting bases of goji berries. It has 44,100 mu of organic red goji berries certified by internationally renowned agencies, and eight enterprises specializing in organic agricultural products.

To continuously streamline the sales channels for goji products, the Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture has established five industrial parks, seven county-level e-commerce public service centers, and 137 e-commerce service stations in rural areas, attracting over 140 e-commerce enterprises and boosting sales of more than 100 goji products.

"I received more than 2,000 orders worth 150,000 yuan in a four-hour livestream," said Ding Ying, a goji berry grower. Since 2018, Ding has sold goji products worth more than 50 million yuan on online platforms.

Not long ago, the featured agricultural product exhibition and trading center of the Dulan modern agricultural industrial park was launched. "At the center, we continuously improve the supervision system for standardized production, organic certification system, and the product quality traceability system throughout the entire process," said Yong A, an executive of the management committee of the Dulan modern agricultural industrial park.

Dulan county has registered 11 trademarks of goji berries and cultivated two national-level leading companies in the goji berry industry. Based on the high-quality development of the goji berry sector, the county has introduced and nurtured five provincial-level leading companies in the husbandry industry and developed over 40 types of production lines for the deep processing of agro-livestock products.