White radish industry thrives in township of SW China's Yunnan

Shaqiao township in Nanhua county, Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province has turned white radishes into a prosperous industry in recent years, bringing wealth to locals.

The planting area of white radishes in the township reached 40,000 mu (about 2,667 hectares) in 2023. It is estimated that the yield and output value of the vegetable will exceed 250,000 tonnes and 200 million yuan (about $28.28 million) respectively this year.

Photo shows white radish fields in Shaqiao township, Nanhua county, Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Cheng Hao)

Many of the households in the township are now able to earn a gross income of over 100,000 yuan per year solely from growing white radishes.

When the township invited experts to help find a suitable industry to boost local development in around 2000, they conducted surveys and determined that the climactic and soil conditions in the township were suitable for white radish production, but suggested improving radish varieties.

The township then introduced a new radish variety from Tonghai county, which enjoys a thriving radish industry, in Yuxi city, Yunnan.

Zhou Guangshun, a resident of Yuqime village in the township, was one of the first growers of the new radish variety. Zhou said that more and more people began to grow the new variety, as they saw that the radishes were sweet and crisp.

Photo shows harvested white radishes in Shaqiao township, Nanhua county, Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Cheng Hao)

The township then helped improve radish varieties and invited merchants to buy farmers' white radishes. Gradually, the white radish industry in the township started to flourish. In addition, white radishes from the township were processed into pickles, which were exported to South Korea and Japan.

Seeing the prospects for the white radish industry, Luo Ronghua, a resident of Yuqime village who worked outside his hometown, returned to the village to grow white radishes in 2015.

Every year, he plants white radishes on 12 mu to 13 mu of land, with his sales revenue from the vegetable ranging from 60,000 yuan to 70,000 yuan. His annual income from farming is over 200,000 yuan.

Photo shows dried white radishes in Shaqiao township, Nanhua county, Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Cheng Hao)

An agricultural product company in the township purchases around 2,000 tonnes of dried white radishes every year and sells them to other provinces including Anhui, Hunan and Hubei, with its annual sales volume exceeding 10 million yuan and net profit surpassing 300,000 yuan.

Shaqiao township is making efforts to attract processing companies to establish plants in the township and develop new processed products.

Additionally, the township has integrated the white radish industry with cultural and tourism sectors in recent years by leveraging its natural scenery and rich cultural and tourism resources. For instance, every year, it holds a white radish festival that features ethnic cultures to attract visitors.

"We are leveraging our resources to make the white radish industry better and stronger, so as to benefit more people and further advance rural revitalization," said Zha Guozhi, head of Shaqiao township.

Photo shows white radish dishes in Shaqiao township, Nanhua county, Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Liu Yi)