Rushan’s Bountiful Ginger Harvest Drives Income Growth through Industrial Development

RUSHAN, China, Nov. 13, 2024 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/–
As the ginger harvest season arrives, farmers in Rushan, Weihai City, Shandong Province, are bustling with activity, including digging, loading, and transporting ginger from the fields. Fields are filled with the joy of a bountiful harvest. Rushan ginger, known for its thin skin, large rhizomes, vibrant yellow color, low fiber content, crispy texture and robust aroma, has earned the China National Geographic Indication Trademark and is ranked among China’s top 300 geographical indication brands, making it a favorite among consumers nationwide.

In Dagushan Town, the air is filled with the fresh scent of ginger as farmers dig, pull up the ginger, shake off the soil, trim the stalks, and neatly pack the ginger into baskets before loading them for storage in cellars. Over the years, the ginger cultivation industry has not only increased the collective income of the village but has also created considerable earnings for nearby villagers involved in ginger farming and related activities.

“Our Sifa Labor Service Team was established in 2019, and we’ve been working for over five years now. Our members, mainly from nearby villages, use their free time to help ginger farmers with tasks like harvesting, storing, and planting ginger,” says Ma Cuifa, head of the Sifa Labor Service Team in Dagushan Town, Rushan City. “Today, we’re helping ginger farmers in West Linjia Village, where each worker earns 260 yuan a day, and we can harvest two to three mu of land daily.”

In recent years, Dagushan Town, as the major ginger production area of Rushan City, has focused on increasing ginger yields and enhancing quality. By expanding planting areas through cooperative farming efforts, extending the ginger processing industry chain, and developing modern agricultural bases, the town is strengthening the Rushan ginger brand. This year, the ginger cultivation area in Dagushan Town has reached 9,800 mu, with an output exceeding 127.4 million catties.

Looking ahead, Rushan City is committed to vigorously developing its ginger industry by actively collaborating with research institutions to promote high-yield, stable-growing ginger varieties. The city aims to boost ginger production by improving planting conditions, adopting dense planting techniques, implementing soil testing and fertilizer application, and introducing new ginger varieties. Additionally, the city is establishing ginger deep-processing facilities to enhance local incomes, drive brand development, and foster specialized growth, thus propelling Rushan’s economy toward faster, higher-quality development.