Thriving walnut industry in NW China's Gansu generates wealth for local people

Walnuts have entered the harvest season in Chengxian county, Longnan city, northwest China's Gansu Province. As a pillar industry in the county, the walnut sector has brought wealth to local people.

Farmers select walnuts in Chengxian county, Longnan city, northwest China's Gansu Province. (Photo/Tian Xingwen)

The county has a long history of walnut cultivation. Produced in the mountainous areas and alpine valleys, walnuts here are free from pollution, and are known for their large size, thin shell, fragrant taste, and high kernel oil content.

Tanhe township of Chengxian is experiencing a bountiful harvest, with growers busy picking up walnuts. “Let’s say the freshly-harvested walnut with a husk is priced at 2 yuan ($0.27) to 2.4 yuan per kilogram, and about 1,250 to 1,500 kilograms of such walnuts can be harvested per mu (0.06 hectare). Then a family with 10 mu of walnuts can earn 20,000 to 30,000 yuan," said Tan Xuhong, an elderly villager of Laozhuang village.

Farmers transfer walnuts in Chengxian county, Longnan city, northwest China's Gansu Province. (Photo/Tian Xingwen)

The growers had signed purchase agreements with cooperatives and an e-commerce company before the harvest season this year, which makes it much more convenient to sell them. "Our township had worked on the sales of the walnuts in advance this year, enabling the growers to sell them at a good price while reducing their workload," said Wang Xiaobin, head of the township.

Aside from selling walnuts across the country through online and offline channels, the county also developed other products, such as canned kernels, walnut oil and walnut protein powder, and exported cold-pressed walnut oil and walnuts to broader markets.