Lotus root "grows" into a leading industry with regional advantages

The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China pointed out that it is necessary to develop industries with rural characteristics and broaden the channels
for peasants to increase income and become rich.
As a unique aquatic vegetable, lotus root plays an important role
in adjusting the agricultural industrial structure, increasing farmers' income, and improving and beautifying the ecological environment.
At present, China's lotus root planting area has reached more than 6 million mu, and each lotus root planting area has improved varieties and developed a series of deep-processed products, etc.
, while meeting the diverse "lotus root eating needs" of consumers, driving lotus root farmers to obtain higher returns, and making lotus root industry become the dominant industry
with advantages and characteristics of regional economic development.

Variety improvement helps farmers increase their income steadily

Nowadays, it is a good season
to pick and eat lotus root.

Recently, in the green lotus root science and technology demonstration base in Wangzhigang Town, Baoying County, Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province, lotus root farmers are busy picking, packing, shipping and delivering fresh lotus root to customers
.

"This year, lotus root has grown a bumper harvest, and customer orders have come one after another, and lotus root is in short supply
.
" Zhu Jinhong, the "big sister of lotus" who has been doing Douyin live streaming at the base, said with a smile that she began to plant lotus root in 2004, with varieties such as "big purple red" with large holes, "beauty red" with white lotus fragrance, and "small dark red" with pink feet, which can meet the needs
of different consumers.

In recent years, Baoying County has led the planting of "big purple red", "beauty red" and "small dark red" three major varieties, because the variety improvement is in place, and fertilization, medicine, water saving and other links pay attention to science, the market sales are very prosperous, the "money bags" of lotus farmers have gradually bulged
.

Like Baoying County, Jiayu County, Xianning City, Hubei Province, is also a famous lotus root producing county, and most of the lotus root seeds here come from the county's Luxi Wild Lotus Root Industry Co.
, Ltd.

"This lotus pond covers an area of two acres, and after the middle interval, two varieties are planted with Jiayu Wild Lotus No.
1 and Jiayu Wild Lotus No.
2, but each variety only needs one lotus root seed to grow the entire lotus pond
.
" In a lotus pond in the company's lotus root base, the company's head Gong Muqian explained while showing a "lotus king"
about 2 meters long and weighing 3 pounds.

It is reported that the company planted more than 40 acres of wild lotus root in 2021, the varieties are mainly Jiayu wild lotus No.
1, No.
2 and No.
3, each variety is slightly different in size, taste, nutrients, Jiayu wild lotus root starch and amino acid content is higher, widely favored by the market, at present, the company's wild lotus root seeds are not only supplied to surrounding counties and cities, but also sold to Sichuan, Guangdong, Zhejiang and other provinces
.

"Compared with the finished lotus root, the growth cycle of lotus root seeds is longer, and the planting, tending and digging must be more careful
.
" Gong Muqian said that in order to further improve the quality of wild lotus root and promote Jiayu wild lotus, in 2020, he cooperated with Wuhan University, Wuhan University of Light Industry and Huazhong Agricultural University to carry out research on the improvement of wild lotus varieties and cultivate new strains of wild lotus
.

"Last year, the planting area of wild lotus root was 1,800 mu, and this year, the planting area of lotus root seeds and finished lotus root will be expanded by 200 mu and 400 mu respectively, and the annual output value is expected to reach 20 million yuan
this year.
" Gong Muqian said that the company is actively connecting with universities to continue to genetically improve
existing wild lotus varieties.
At present, more than 40 farmers have participated in the planting of wild lotus root, with planting areas ranging from a few acres to dozens of acres, with considerable economic benefits, and an average income of 2,500 yuan
per mu.

Industry insiders pointed out that seeds are the "chip" of agriculture and the core of
ensuring national food security.
Lotus root seeds are also the core of the development of the lotus root industry, and it is also the cornerstone of
a better life for lotus farmers.
After variety selection and improvement, China's lotus root seeds are not only earlier maturing, higher yielding and more nutritious, but also developing in a new direction with the efforts of a new generation of scientific research workers, further improving yield and quality, and increasing the income
of lotus root farmers.

Deep processing Lotus root products play new tricks

At present, the planting area of lotus root in China has reached more than 6 million mu, which provides a solid foundation
for the deep processing of lotus root products.
Lotus root soup from Honghu Lake in Hubei Province, lotus root powder from three villages in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, lotus root instant noodles in Potou District, Zhanjiang, Guangdong.
.
.
In recent years, various lotus root deep processing products have sold well in the market and are favored
by consumers.

In the three village lotus powder factories operated by Shen Hongkui and Shen Peng in Chongxian Street, Linping District, Hangzhou, large trucks loaded with raw materials drove into the factory area, and the staff was using forklifts to transport goods, hurrying up to vacate the warehouse and expand the capacity and prepare sufficient supplies
.

The three villages thrive with the canal, and the village grows, digs and makes lotus root, and the ancestors have coexisted
with the lotus root for generations.
Sanjia village lotus root powder also has a great status in the lotus root powder industry, and is one of
the landmark delicacies in Hangzhou.

At the end of 2011, Shen Peng quit his job in Hangzhou and returned to the countryside, followed his father to learn to run a lotus root powder factory, and began to try to use the eyes of young people to re-explore the "temper" of lotus root and try a new model
of lotus powder product sales.

"As a private enterprise with local characteristics, we have cooperated with e-commerce companies since 2014, established cooperative relations with many Internet celebrities and live broadcast experts, deeply cultivated patented technologies, continuously expanded the sales channels of lotus powder e-commerce in the three villages, and opened up a new space
for the development of the time-honored brands of the 'three villages'.
" Shen Peng introduced
.

Taking advantage of the "east wind" of Internet celebrity products coming out of the circle overnight, Sanjia Village Lotus Root Powder also "played" with "new tricks" in products - launched instant lotus root powder brewed in cold water, which solved the problem of
difficulty in brewing lotus root powder.
During this year's "Double 11" period, the three village lotus root powder items sold 50,000 pieces in the Taobao expert live broadcast room, and it is expected that the sales will reach 70 million yuan
this year.
Nowadays, the sales channels of lotus root powder in the three villages continue to expand, and the cultural industrial chain
of lotus root powder is constantly formed.

Unlike the three village lotus root powder, Honghu lotus root takes the road of pre-made vegetables
.

Honghu lotus root has excellent quality, the planting area ranks first in counties and cities in the country, and in the early stage, due to the single lotus root variety and product, the planting efficiency is low, and the lotus root farmers have transformed
.
Today, Honghu has improved the quality of lotus root and made efforts to deep processing, and the lotus root industry has become a rich industry
with an annual output value of 2 billion yuan.

In 2016, executives at Hubei Huagui Food Co.
found that some restaurants sold "Honghu lotus soup"
disappointingly.
"Many restaurants use crispy lotus root, not powder, no that taste
.
" Yang Fuyuan, general manager of Hua Company, said that at that time, the company's management thought that the pre-made dishes would definitely catch fire, and began to lay out the research and development
of Honghu lotus soup.

After repeated experiments by scientific researchers and continuous improvement of the lotus soup production process, in 2019, Huayou officially launched Honghu lotus root soup, and the products were favored
by the markets in Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and other places as soon as they were listed.

"Order online, and a 900-gram bag of pre-made lotus soup will be delivered to your home
the next day.
Heat for 10 minutes, sprinkle with chopped green onion, and a bowl of Honghu root soup with hometown flavor is good
.
Cheng Jing, a Honghu native who works in Beijing, said that in previous years, it was difficult to drink authentic Honghu root soup, but now she can drink it often
.

On the Xiaohongshu platform, there are more than 270,000 related notes
with "lotus" as the search keyword.
On the Taobao platform, products with "lotus snacks" as the keyword have a monthly sales of more than 2,000 or 4,000 items
.

Industry insiders pointed out that the deep processing of agricultural products is conducive to improving the quality of agricultural products, extending the shelf life, enhancing added value and economic benefits, and is the only way for the development of modern agriculture, suggesting that local governments actively implement the support policy for the primary processing of lotus root products, continue to optimize the business environment, promote the in-depth development of the intensive processing industry of lotus root products, and form a new support for rural revitalization and a new highlight
of industrial development.

(Gao Jiaodi, comprehensive arrangement)

China Food News(December 19, 2022, Version 02)

(Responsible editor: Gao Jiaodi)