Tech drives development of rural industries in China's Zhejiang

Regions in east China's Zhejiang Province have been leveraging technologies to develop rural industries, bringing prosperity to residents.

Thanks to applying technologies in greenhouses, shiitake mushroom cultivation has become a thriving industry that helps drive income growth for villagers in Longyou county, Quzhou city of Zhejiang.

Tuanshi village in Xiaonanhai town, Longyou introduced a biotechnology company into the village, with the company investing 280 million yuan ($39.3 million) in a shiitake mushroom industrial park.

"Our greenhouses can ensure the planting of mushrooms throughout the year, which means that we no longer rely on the weather. With over 20,000 sticks of fungi in each greenhouse, we can harvest mushrooms each month," said Zhu Youcun, chairman of the company.

These intelligent greenhouses are equipped with automated systems such as a constant temperature system, a ventilation system, a humidification–dehumidification system, and a supplemental lighting system. Solar panels are placed on the roofs of the greenhouses.

The industrial park has built 36 such intelligent greenhouses, and another 106 will be put into use in October 2024.

Since 2022, the industrial park has helped over 350 people surrounding it find jobs and earn over 6 million yuan, and has generated an extra collective operating income of 1.54 million yuan for five villages.

Photo shows waxberries in a greenhouse in Qingtian county, Lishui city, Zhejiang Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Liwei)

In Qingtian county, Lishui city, Zhejiang, waxberries are cultivated in intelligent greenhouses.

Zou Xiuqin, an official at the bureau of agriculture and rural affairs of Qingtian county, said that the county has taken the lead in promoting waxberry greenhouses in Zhejiang since 2013.

Waxberry greenhouses that cover an area of 800 mu (53.3 hectares) have been built in the county. Featuring water-saving irrigation and intelligent temperature control, the greenhouses can protect waxberries from rain and pests, and significantly improve the quality and yield of the fruit. The income per mu of waxberry greenhouses exceeds 80,000 yuan, and the output value of waxberries per mu increases around tenfold.

Reliable sources indicated that waxberry planting has become one of the pillar industries in Qingtian, with the planting area of the fruit exceeding 110,000 mu. Nearly 80,000 people work in the industry, which generates an extra average income of more than 1,500 yuan for farmers.