The green plums grown in Zhaoan county, Fujian province are widely known for their taste, nutrition and medicinal value.

In recent years, the local delicacy has gained an even more nutritive name - "Zhaoan selenium-enriched green plums".

This was thanks to the 762,000 mu (50,800 hectares) of fields – over one third of the county's area – discovered in 2012. Rich in selenium, one of the essential trace minerals in the human body, they have energized the local rural economy and taken it to a new level.

Green plums, tea and poultry are the three local industries that have benefited most from selenium, along with vegetables and fruits such as chilies, pimentos, tomatoes, pumpkins and lettuce, all of which are becoming even more popular.

The diversified Se-enriched industries have begun taking shape and the county now boasts a Se-enriched green plum base of 120,000 mu, a special tea planting area of 40,000 mu, a paddy field of 40,000 mu, and a Chinese herbal medicine base of 10,000 mu.

Su Zhonghui, manager of a 2,000-mu vegetable planting base, was eager to share his excitement.

"The Se-enriched chilies and pimentos sell well. For example, our chilies are about 7 yuan per kilogram, much higher than the average market price," Su said.

"My total revenue reached over 25 million yuan ($3.9 million) in 2017," he added.

Aside from the gift from nature, Su's success actually lies in Zhaoan's policy of developing Se-enriched industries in a standardized, industrialized and branded way.

The local government has set up a maker space for Se-related start-ups, while over 100 farmers have sensed new business opportunities on e-commerce platforms such as Taobao, Suning and JD.

To develop a more integrated industrial chain, the local government also set up a specialized selenium center in March 2016 to forge closer ties between products, research, and the business environment.

The Se-enriched rural economy is now one of Zhaoan's trump cards, not only a blessing from nature, but also a reward of the population's increasing health awareness and the county's fast-developing health industry.

Poultry is the industry in Zhaoan county, Fujian province that has benefited most from selenium. The county discovered an area of 762,000 mu, over one third of the county's area, rich in selenium in 2012. [Photo/sohu.com]