Sweet potato vermicelli in hot demand

Farmers in Banling village, Du'an Yao autonomus county in Hechi, Guangxi, have been busy recently, producing traditional sweet potato vermicelli.

"We all take time to make vermicelli when the weather clears up," said Zheng Qidong, a local farmer, "Because it rained too much this year, the output of sweet potato vermicelli is less than previous years. The supply falls short of demand in the market."

The Banling village has a long history of producing traditional handmade sweet potato vermicelli and is famous in the region as the "hometown of sweet potato vermicelli". In recent years, the village has been striving to develop and promote its sweet potato industry, as it provides a helpful boost to the farmers' income.

At present, the village has 296 farmer households devoted to producing vermicelli. Banling's vermicelli has a unique flavor and can withstand long boiling times. Its market price is about 30 yuan ($4.56) per kilogram.

In the past two months, more than 400 tons of vermicelli has been produced, generating more than 12 million yuan. The final product is sold to cities and counties such as Liuzhou, Nanning, Nandan and Yizhou.

Farmers stir sweet potato starch with their hands to make vermicelli. [Photo by Liu Jiaoqing / Xinhua]

A farmer shapes the sweet potato vermicelli using traditional tools and techniques. [Photo by Liu Jiaoqing / Xinhua]

Two women in folk costumes shoulder sweet potato vermicelli for sun-cure. [Photo by Liu Jiaoqing / Xinhua]

Edited by Owen Fishwick