Bamboo shoots grown in Sichuan for VIP panda clients

The bamboo shoot harvest season is in full swing in Dengjiagou village of Nanbu county, Sichuan province, for a VIP client with very specific tastes: the giant panda.

"These shoots grow fast and stay tender. The pandas are waiting for them," said villager Liao Sujun while packing a fresh harvest.

Dengjiagou is home to a 27-hectare bamboo forest, planted specifically to meet the dietary needs of giant pandas. Each day during the harvest season, more than 70 villagers work together to dig up about 15 metric tons of fresh shoots, according to Li Hongbing, head of the planting base.

Fresh shoots are sorted and tested each day. They are then shipped in refrigerated trucks to the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Sichuan.