Xiangsha taro harvesting starts in Jingjiang city

Prices of Jingjiang Xiangsha taros are rising. [Photo/WeChat ID: tzfabu]

Harvesting recently kicked off at the Xiangsha taro plantation in Zushi village, located in Maqiao town in the county-level city of Jingjiang – administered by Taizhou city, in East China's Jiangsu province.

Taro root is a starchy root vegetable originally cultivated in Asia but now enjoyed around the world. It has a brown outer skin and white flesh with purple specks throughout. When cooked, it has a mildly sweet taste and a texture similar to the potato.

Affected by this year's fall in output, the Xiangsha taro has a selling price of 13.8 yuan ($2.07) per 500 grams, up 1 yuan on last year and it has been in short supply in the market.

The Jingjiang Xiangsha taro is a geographical indication, or GI product. In order to develop a Xiangsha taro industrial cluster in Jingjiang, the production and marketing association of the Jingjiang Xiangsha taro gathered together representatives from plantations and farmers and adopted unified production and sales standards. In addition, the Xiangsha taro production mechanization level has increased to more than 90 percent to date.

According to the head of the association, the cultivation area in Jingjiang city is currently about 20,000 mu (1,333 hectares), with the annual output of the Xiangsha taro reaching more than 20,000 tons. What's more, the farmers in Jingjiang city have increased their annual incomes by planting the Xiangsha taro to more than 100 million yuan.