A farmer harvests hairy crabs in Dongshanlin village, Nanxun district, Huzhou. [Photo/hz66.com]

Huzhou's Nanxun district has built a hairy crab farm as part of efforts to help farmers increase their incomes.

Situated in Dongshanlin village, Dongqian sub-district, the farm's first phase spans 1,000 mu (66.6 hectares) and accommodates more than 30 farmers.

The 1,000-mu second phase is currently under construction and will include facilities like a hairy crab trading center, a processing center and a crab culture exhibition hall.

To aid farmers, the local government has provided support such as funding worth 130 million yuan ($20 million) and technical guidance.

He Guowen, who has breeding hairy crabs for six years, said he expects to harvest 60,000 yuan worth of crabs per mu this year.

According to He, the quality of the crabs has improved due to the guidance provided by experts.

The handsome incomes earned by farmers in the newly established crab farm has also attracted some local residents who used to be in other professions.

Wang Huiming, Party chief of Dongshanlin village, said that efforts will be made to guide farmers in terms of transforming the industry and building their own brands.