Young farmer cultivates success with morel mushrooms in SW China's Sichuan

Wu Jiajing was checking on the growth of his morel mushrooms in Jinshan village, Zhaojia town, Jintang county, southwest China's Sichuan Province.

A member of the general Party branch committee in the village, Wu, born in the 1990s, once made his living in a city. Today he is one of the area's best-known morel mushroom growers, with a cumulative planting area of more than 50 mu (3.33 hectares).

Wu returned to the county in 2011, at the age of 20, with ambitions to start something of his own, initially joining his father in the carpentry trade specializing in home renovation.

A chance encounter in 2020 set him on an entirely different path.

Farmers harvest morel mushrooms in Jinshan village, Zhaojia town, Jintang county, southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Chinanews.com.cn/He Xi)

"I was drawn to the high economic value of morel mushrooms, and I had mentors willing to show me the ropes, so I decided to make the switch and give it a try," he said.

The early days were far from straightforward: he struggled to master morel cultivation techniques. Through repeated trial and error, and with guidance from more experienced farmers, he gradually got to grips with the key techniques: strain selection, shed construction, temperature and humidity control, and pest management. In time, he transformed himself from a novice into a skilled grower.

Jintang county is the largest morel mushroom distribution hub in China, and its distinctive climate and soil conditions have earned local morels a reputation for superior quality.

The Tianfu Mushroom Trading Center, built in Zhaojia town, provides growers with a convenient sales channel. With more than 70 merchants operating under one roof, the center handles annual dried mushroom transactions of around 10,000 tonnes.

Wu Jiajing, a member of the general Party branch committee in Jinshan village, Zhaojia town, Jintang county, southwest China's Sichuan Province, handles affairs for a villager. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

"We sell our morels straight to the trading center — finding buyers has never been an issue," Wu said.

In a good year, fresh morel yields can reach 800 kilograms per mu, with returns of up to 20,000 yuan ($2,899) per mu. Even in an average year, each mu typically brings in over 10,000 yuan.

Alongside morel mushrooms, Wu also grows rapeseed and other crops to diversify his income sources.

Elected to the general Party branch committee in Jinshan village in 2023, Wu has split his time between deepening his own agricultural expertise and helping fellow villagers improve their livelihoods. He has been connecting local farmers with wholesalers and working to build a platform linking production directly with buyers. That way, villagers can sell their produce without leaving the village.

"Grassroots work means putting yourself in other people's shoes and treating villagers' problems as your own," he said.

Looking ahead, Wu plans to expand his morel cultivation over the next three to five years, refine his growing techniques, and help build out the village's agricultural sales network so that more residents can share in the benefits of the industry's growth.

"My idea is simple," Wu said. "I just want my hometown to keep getting better and farmers to keep putting more money in their pockets."