Guizhou's hotbed chives exported to Southeast Asia

A farmhand harvests hotbed chives in Puding county. [Photo/gywb.cn]

Puding county – administered by Anshun in Southwest China's Guizhou province – currently has 100,000 mu (6,66.67 hectares) of hotbed chives under cultivation and it exported 300,000 kilograms of hotbed chives to Southeast Asia since April.

The export was achieved despite the influence of the novel coronavirus outbreak on economy.

Cooperating with a trading company from East China's Fujian province, Puding county sold high-quality hotbed chives at a price of 2.1 yuan ($0.31) per 500 grams. The crop will be cleaned, stored and transported to Malaysia.

Under normal conditions, the hotbed chives can only be preserved for three to five days. But with a vacuum cooler, the hotbed chives can be stored for about half a month and stay fresh when they arrive in Malaysia.

In the wake of its success in exporting hotbed chives to Malaysia, Puding has added more export destinations in Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Vietnam and Myanmar.

Due to the increase in demand for hotbed chives, the locals in Puding have seen an increase in their incomes. Local officials said Puding's hotbed chive planting area can provide jobs for 1,000 people and wages vary with the different types of work.

In 2014, Puding's Baiqi hotbed chives were recognized as national protected geographical indication product, helping the county shake off poverty.

After years of development, production is continuing to expand through the improved integration of the village-owned company, planting base and farmers – driving the development of other related agricultural concerns.