The harvest season for morel mushrooms recently kicked off in Nanxing village in Hai'an, a county-level city in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province.

The morel mushrooms industry in the county has increased the incomes of local farmers considerably and been a key driver of rural development.

Morel mushrooms in a greenhouse in Hai'an, a county-level city in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Miao Jian, who is in charge of a morel mushroom cooperative in the county, started his mushroom plantation in 2010 and has since attracted 58 farmers to get involved in the industry.

The cooperative is presently home to 26 greenhouses for morels, Miao said.

According to Miao, each greenhouse in the cooperative can produce about 350 kilograms of mushrooms worth more than 70,000 yuan ($10,171).

Miao Peifang, who lives near the cooperative, said that picking morels can increase her daily income by 100 yuan.  

The cooperative is now looking to expand the scale of the industry to further boost the rural economy in the county.