A stretch of asparagus greenhouses in Changcheng village, Changxing county, Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province [Photo/WeChat account: huzhoufabu]

The Changxing Xuchang Vegetable Cooperative in Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, recently made the 2021 list of the top 500 farmers' cooperatives in China released by Farmers' Daily.

The cooperative, located in Changcheng village, Heping town, Changxing county, was established in October 2010.

With a total of 200 members, it is a national demonstration professional cooperative dedicated to the growing of asparagus.

The cooperative has set up three special teams, providing such services as the farming, sorting, processing and sale of asparagus, as well as the recycling and utilization of its straw.

The processed straw, weighing 5,000 metric tons, will be used as organic feed for surrounding sheep farms, generating more than 500,000 yuan  ($76,923) in annual revenue.

In addition, the cooperative has developed some machines for trimming and sorting the vegetable. The sorting machines have helped farmers save about 400 yuan in costs per mu (0.06 hectares) annually.