Bountiful harvest of long eggplants flourishes industry

Abundant purple eggplants adorn branches. [Photo by Liang Shaoting for chinadaily.com.cn]

The farmers moved swiftly through the over 1-meter-tall eggplant racks, carefully selecting large, smooth eggplants at the greenhouse of the vegetable planting base in Baicaiwangzhuang village, Maji town, Dingtao district in Shandong province. With skillful hands, they harvested, sorted, and packed the vegetables, creating a scene of bustling joy.

In Baicaiwangzhuang village, many farmers have considerable experience in vegetable cultivation. Their eggplants are known for their long harvesting period, excellent fruit quality, and ability to withstand storage and transportation. 

As a result, they are highly favored by both farmers and the market. To ensure that agricultural products are "well-grown" and "sellable," the local government has established multiple vegetable trading markets. 

This allows the farmers to have no worries about selling their produce. During the peak season of eggplant production, a continuous stream of vehicles is coming to purchase the vegetables daily.

There are more than 400 eggplant greenhouses built solely in Baicaiwangzhuang village. This development has created opportunities for over 1,300 farmers and workers. With an annual production of 3.65 million kilograms of eggplants, the sales revenue exceeds 27 million yuan ($3.78 million). 

This successful implementation of specialized eggplant cultivation has become a strong driving force for promoting rural vitalization and increasing farmers' income and prosperity. (Edited by Huang Junyao)