Workers for a branch of Doneed Seed, a production company based in Beijing, sort corn seeds in Zhangye, Gansu province, on Saturday, in preparation for spring planting. [Photo by Wang Jiang/for chinadaily.com.cn]

LANZHOU - Northwest China's Gansu province exported 220 million yuan ($32.96 million) worth of seeds in the first four months of this year, up 45.5 percent year-on-year, local customs said.

From January to April, Gansu exported 1,879 tons of seeds to over 40 countries and regions, marking a year-on-year growth of 11.6 percent, said Lanzhou Customs.

Gansu is among the largest cultivation bases of imported vegetable and flower seeds in China, with the farmland for imported seed cultivation reaching about 4,667 hectares.

Seed cultivation is not only a special industry in the inland province but also an important pillar industry to increase local farmers' incomes.