Bamboo shoots bring wealth to farmers in SE China's Fujian

As giant timber bamboo shoots enter the harvest season, bamboo farmers in Houkeng village, Nanpu township, Zhangpu county, southeast China's Fujian Province have been busy weighing, cleaning, sorting and loading fresh bamboo shoots at a purchasing site of the village's bamboo planting cooperative.

A farmer packages fresh bamboo shoots at a purchasing site of the bamboo planting cooperative in Houkeng village, Nanpu township, Zhangpu county, southeast China's Fujian Province. (Photo/Chen Qimin)

The purchasing price of giant timber bamboo shoots ranges from 26 yuan ($3.75) to 36 yuan per kilogram, said Xu Huiping, head of the cooperative.

The harvest season of giant timber bamboo shoots lasts from April to November in Nanpu township. During the peak period, the daily output of giant timber bamboo shoots in the township can reach 200,000 kilograms.

Xu Huiping, head of the bamboo planting cooperative in Houkeng village, Nanpu township, Zhangpu county, southeast China's Fujian Province, selects bamboo shoots at the cooperative’s purchasing site. (Photo/Chen Qimin)

The planting area of different varieties of bamboo in the township reaches about 15,000 mu (1,000 hectares), and the annual bamboo shoot output hits 15,000 tonnes. More than 80 percent of the township's residents are engaging in bamboo planting. The bamboo industry has become a pillar industry in the township.

In recent years, the township has promoted the in-depth development of the bamboo industrial chain covering fresh and ready-to-eat bamboo shoots, carried forward bamboo weaving techniques to develop bamboo products, and integrated bamboo resources with tourism and healthcare, bringing prosperity to bamboo farmers.

Photo shows a bamboo-weaving lampshade. (Photo/Chen Qimin)

Photo shows a scenic area in Houkeng village, Nanpu township, Zhangpu county, southeast China's Fujian Province. (Photo/Chen Qimin)