Hejia township in Changshan county, Quzhou, Zhejiang province began growing fresh soybeans in the mid-1990s.

In 2021, the township's fresh soybean planting area exceeded 5,000 mu (333 hectares), and the annual output of fresh soybean pulp reached 1,875 metric tons, generating 140 million yuan ($19.43 million) in annual sales.

The bean pod-shelling has increased the incomes of more than 2,000 rural households in Tonggong, Qiuchuan, Huibu, Huibu and Qingshi villages in the township and other surrounding areas, with an average annual income increase of nearly 10,000 yuan.

To increase quarterly earnings, Kongshan village in Kaihua county planted 10-mu of soybeans in June and harvested them in September. Data show that the average yield reached 750 kilograms per mu.

With the help of experts from the Quzhou agriculture and forestry academy, all soybeans grown in Kongshan village were purchased at a price of 5.2 yuan per kg, with an average income of 4,000 yuan per mu.

A fresh bean processing site in Hejia township, Changshan county, Quzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]