Jingjiang city in East China's Jiangsu province is bringing in a bumper harvest of Xiangsha taro, a local variety of the taro herb used mainly in cooking and known for its sweet taste and rich nutrients.
This year, over 10,000 mu (666 hectares) of land in Jingjiang has been used to cultivate the crop, with an estimated yield of around 1,500 kilograms per mu – representing a 30 percent increase compared with the previous year.
In recent years, the city has been implementing a project to promote and demonstrate the mechanization of taro production.
As a result, the level of mechanized farming now exceeds 90 percent, making taro planting easier and more efficient.
To further promote the local taro industry, cooperatives in the area have utilized social media platforms for live online broadcasts.
Workers live stream the process of picking, sorting and packing the Xiangsha taro crop. [Photo by Sheng Yi]
These live streams show the entire process of picking, sorting and packing the taro.
The engaging content has attracted large numbers of residents from Jingjiang, as well as taro enthusiasts from neighboring cities such as Changzhou and Nantong.