Yizhou's thriving silkworm industry leads farmers on path to prosperity

The silkworm industry has become one of the pillar industries in Yizhou district of Hechi, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, leading locals on road to riches.

Local government has settled on the decision to restructure the use of land in Yizhou after a decisive research study. The study found that just one mu (0.067 hectare) of mulberry fields can bring in a minimum annual revenue of 3000 yuan ($461.6), leading to the question of how much more revenue could be brought in if just half of the 300, 000 mu of land used to grow corn was converted to mulberry fields.

The decision has been met with much applause, as shown by the speed in which the growing of mulberries has caught on. Wei Dingxue of Mengshan village pioneered the growing of mulberries by allocating a plot of 0.5 mu land, and was subsequently awarded with an annual revenue of 1000 yuan. The other villagers soon followed in his footsteps and now 30 out of 33 of the village's households have planted over 30 mu of mulberry fields. Production of fresh cocoon has reached 6.79 kilograms with revenue amounting to 970, 000 yuan. With average per capita income of the village reaching 7,127 yuan, it has made Mengshan village a model for the rest of Yizhou in terms of development.

"We used to be poor when we mainly grew rice and corn for income, but our lives changed when the government guided us to plant mulberries and to rear cocoons," said Tan Guojian, a silkworm raiser from town of Desheng in Yizhou. Tan has more than 60 mu of mulberry fields, provides jobs for more than 20 farmers and yields an annual profit of 500,000 yuan.

Apart from favorable policies which encouraged the cultivation of mulberries and silkworms through financing and subsidies, the Yizhou government has also issued measures on poverty alleviation for the silkworm industry in 2016. The measures include technology training, renovation of silkworm rooms, and promotion of efficient silkworm rearing techniques. In 2017, the Yizhou government has held 20 training courses on silkworm raising techniques and distributed over 4,000 training documents. A total of 8,694 poverty-stricken families now plant mulberries, covering an area of 22,800 mu and bringing in an income of 180 million yuan, amounting to 21,000 yuan per household.

According to statistics, the district's mulberry revenue and average per capita income has soared from 21 million yuan, and 46 yuan in 1993 to 2.81 billion yuan and 5,618 yuan in 2017, an increase of 133.7 times and 122.1 times respectively. In the last few years, silkworm has accounted for more than half the total gross income of farmers. Yizhou has maintained its role as the top silkworm production base in the country for 12 years running, with Yizhou silk industrial park becoming the largest of its kind in Guangxi.

"The Yizhou government will continue alleviating poverty, constructing models for more efficient silkworm rearing, experimenting with greenhouse silkworm rearing, building a demonstration area of national ecological protection for cocoon silk, and winning recognition as China's hometown for silkworms," said Zhai Hongling, secretary of the Yizhou district Party committee.