Crunchy lotus roots lift farmers out of poverty

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For farmers in China's southwestern Sichuan province, their livelihood lies at the muddy river's bottom, taking the form of lotus roots, a crunchy aquatic vegetable that is a favorite ingredient in Chinese cuisine.

Farmers in Songguanmiao village, one of the poorest areas in Sichuan, do not mind the hard, labor intensive and dirty work of dredging up lotus roots, for the crop has lifted them above the poverty line.

Farmers’ incomes have risen 40 percent and now they earn 13,000 yuan per year, around 2,000 US dollars.

"We're digging up money," says the local farmers as they harvest, a season that can last from autumn to following spring.

Farmers do not have to rush to finish the taxing work before the crop spoils, since the mud preserves the plants. They only dig out lotus roots when they receive orders from the market so they remain fresh when they’re sold.

“In spring, farmers plant lotus; in summer, tourists come to appreciate lotus flowers; in autumn and winter, we dig out lotus roots and sell them in market,” says Wang Kaizhi, the local party secretary.

Ponds of lotus are everywhere in Songguanmiao village, SW China’s Sichuan province./CGTN Photo.

For years, most farmers here planted corn or wheat. But incomes were low and unstable. So three years ago when the area was designated as key zone for poverty relief, the village committee decided to diversify its economic structure.

After researching different crops and studying neighboring towns, farmers made the switch to lotus.

Currently, about 150 households out of the total 442 in the village are planting lotus roots, and it has now become one of the pillar industries along with sweet oranges and fish farming.

Local officials have more visions for the commercial crops, planning to attract more tourists with peaches, lotus and sweet oranges.

With peach blossoms in spring, lotus flowers in summer and the harvest season for oranges and lotus roots in autumn and winter, there will be little chance for a poor harvest.

China has set a nationwide goal to fully eradicate poverty by 2020.