Zhucheng develops hazelnut industry to achieve rural vitalization

The hazelnut demonstration base in Zhucheng, Shandong. [Photo by Zhang Minmin for chinadaily.com.cn]

Walking into the hazelnut demonstration base of Huashan Agriculture and Forestry Technology Co Ltd in Zhucheng, Weifang, Shandong, you are greeted by lush, verdant hills. 

The small hazelnuts are the fruitful result of transforming barren mountains. "The base currently covers an area of 21,000 mu (about 1,400 hectares), making it the largest single-area hazelnut production base in the country," said Cheng Xiangyi, the company's deputy general manager.

Hazelnuts have provided farmers with a means to increase their incomes. The company employs an integrated "seedling cultivation + hazelnut procurement + deep processing and R&D + warehousing and logistics + platform trading + online and offline sales" development model, achieving multi-faceted development across the entire hazelnut industrial chain from production to processing to sales.

To promote the sustainable and healthy development of the hazelnut industry, Zhucheng continues to focus on the entire industrial chain, engaging in the deep processing of hazelnuts. Downstream in the industrial chain, Shandong Sanyang Zhenyuan Biological Technology Co Ltd has already introduced four major categories of products and 20 individual products, including hazelnut milk and hazelnut oil, to the market.

 A young girl experiences the joy of picking hazelnuts. [Photo by Zhang Minmin for chinadaily.com.cn]

In recent years, Zhucheng has developed a unique economic forest, integrating the planting industry with the tourism industry. The city has actively created an agricultural industry that combines tourism, sightseeing, picking, and dining, attracting many tourists. (Edited by Huang Junyao)