Sweet potatoes drive rural vitalization in Weihai

In Changkuangdianzi village, situated in Weihai Torch Hi-Tech Science Park, planting season is in full swing, with the introduction of modern sweet potato seedling greenhouses is leading the way in vitalizing the rural area.

This year, Changkuangdianzi village, Xiaohebei village, Xiaoguan village, and Changkuang village have joined forces to expand the sweet potato industry in the Rong'an area.

Specifically, Changkuang village is set to allocate over 46.67 hectares of land for the construction of seedling greenhouses, with an expected collective income boost of 200,000 yuan ($27,604.42).

Additionally, collaborative efforts between villages will see an additional 13.33 hectares of land dedicated to sweet potato cultivation. The planting varieties, such as Yanshu 25, will cover over 20 hectares, amounting to an estimated 1.5 million seedlings.

Farmers work diligently in the sweet potato fields located in Weihai Torch Hi-Tech Science Park. [Photo by Gao Xin for chinadaily.com.cn]

"Our sweet potato planting period lasts for up to a month, and the expected harvest season is expected to increase the income of the entire Rong'an area by more than 500,000 yuan," said Yuan Zhenjiang, a local official of Changkuangdianzi village.

Building on last year's success, where the sweet potato industry's strengths were leveraged, Changkuangdianzi village's initiatives led to a substantial increase in collective income and raised the average annual income per capita by over 20,000 yuan for more than 20 villagers. (Edited by He Yuge)