As you step into Huayang village, nestling in Zhangdian town – located in the Jiangyan district of Taizhou city in East China's Jiangsu province – an idyllic rural panorama unfolds before your eyes.
Leveraging its special soil quality that has been found to be extremely conducive to cultivating cereal grains, the village has witnessed a surge in its collective economic income, soaring to 1.02 million yuan ($141,100) last year.
This extraordinary transformation has elevated Huayang from a place of poverty to a captivating scenic destination that attracts visitors.
"The high-sandy soil in this region is exceptionally conducive to the cultivation of cereal grains," noted Ji Ang, Party secretary of the village committee.
With rising living standards and evolving dietary preferences among consumers, cereal grains – celebrated for their distinct nutritional and health benefits – have garnered great market favor.
In the village, the profitability of cultivating these grains is estimated to surpass that of conventional rice and wheat by over 1,000 yuan per mu (1 mu= 0.067 hectares)
"We have spearheaded the development of a specialized cereal grain industry, nurturing 12 diverse varieties of cereal grains," Ji said.
The grain fields are interspersed with tranquil walking paths that use stones and wooden boards, inviting visitors to take part in picking them or to just go sightseeing. [Photo/WeChat account: jyrmzf]
Over the last two years, the village has secured over 4 million yuan from various funding sources to establish a cutting-edge dry grain storage and processing facility, a tasting center, a cultural park and more.
Additionally, it has nurtured numerous rural e-commerce enterprises, formed production and sales partnerships with local farmers and promoted dry grain cultivation across the entire town, covering nearly 10,000 mu (666.7 ha).
"A variety of our cereal grains and value-added meal replacement powders are now sold nationwide through e-commerce platforms, with annual sales revenues exceeding 1 million yuan," confirmed Ji.