Since the beginning of spring, bamboo seedlings have achieved the sales of over 20,000 yuan, an increase of 30% compared to the same period last year.

 

In recent years, Qiaotou Township, located on the border of Hunan and Jiangxi provinces, has developed the bamboo leaves industry based on its rich ecological resources to boost villagers’ income.

 

“Our township has abundant wild bamboo leaves, but in the past, due to a lack of systematic planning, villagers increased income just through picking wild leaves,” said Guo Yongcai, deputy head of Qiaotou Township responsible for agriculture. 

 

In recent years, the government have guided villagers to plant bamboo on the idle lands beside forests, roads, rivers, and houses, which has solved the problem of “non-grain” remediation of arable land and revitalized abandoned land resources. 

 

 

At present, there are more than 10,000 mu (about 666.67 hectares) bamboo in the township, with an output value of 6,000 to 8,000 yuan per mu (about 0.067 hectares) and an annual comprehensive output value exceeding 100 million yuan. The bamboo leaves industry has increased an average income by 18,000 yuan per household, double that three years ago.

 

Through guidance, policy incentives, and demonstration, Qiaotou Township has greened wasteland and provided jobs for villagers at their doorstep.

 

“The bamboo leaves in Qiaotou Township have strong resilience and fragrance, and there is a strong demand in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Guangdong,” said Guo Yongcai.

 

In order to improve the competitiveness of the bamboo leaves industry, the township has also given full play to science and technology through the “night school” training, with agricultural technicians and large growers invited to teach modern agricultural techniques for bamboo management and protection. More than 1,000 farmers have been trained. A series of development problems have been solved, such as variety optimization and pest control. 

 

Qiaotou Township has promoted the deep integration of agriculture, culture and tourism based on bamboo leaves. The “Hakka Culture and Food Festival” has been held consecutively, and special dishes made with bamboo leaves, such as steamed goose with bamboo scented rice flour, have been launched, attracting more than 20,000 tourists and driving the sales of agricultural products and catering businesses to increase revenue by more than 5 million yuan. 

 

In addition, a 100-mu (about 6.67 hectares) bamboo leaves demonstration base has been created, where tourists can experience folk activities such as picking bamboo leaves and making zongzi, which will drive the vigorous development of homestay inns and agritainment in surrounding villages and towns. 

 

Qiaotou Township has developed the tea industry in spring, bamboo leaves in summer, bamboo and wood cutting in autumn, and bamboo shoots in winter to fatten villagers’ wallets. At present, there are more than 30,000 mu (2,000 hectares) of high-quality tea gardens, over 10,000 mu (about 666.67 hectares) of bamboo for leaves, and over 40,000 mu (about 2666.67 hectares) of bamboo. The average collective economic income has exceeded 200,000 yuan.

 

“In the future, we will explore cooperation with scientific research institutions to develop deep processed products such as vacuum-packed bamboo leaves and bamboo leaf tea, and promote the standardized high-quality development of bamboo leaves through technology. We strive to build a modern processing plant within three years to achieve integrated production of graded screening and vacuum packaging,” said Fu Baijun, Party secretary of Qiaotou Township.

 

 

Chinese source: rednet