Tibet Achieves a Double Harvest of Grain Baskets and Vegetable Baskets

The latest data from the Tibet Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Department shows: In 2015, Tibet's grain output exceeded 1 million tons for the first time, reaching 1.1078 million tons, and vegetable output reached 820,000 tons, both hitting record highs, achieving a double harvest of Tibet's “grain baskets” and “vegetable baskets”.

After the bumper harvest, can farmers achieve increased production and income? Recently, a reporter conducted research interviews in the Shigatse region, known as “Tibet's Granary”.

“I earned 180,000 yuan this year from planting highland barley.” Dawa Dundrup, a major highland barley grower from Jinga Village, Bazha Township, Bainang County, Shigatse City, happily told the reporter that with favorable weather this year, he planted 93 mu of highland barley and harvested over 70,000 jin.

Dawa Dundrup is just a microcosm of grain farmers. Jinga Village, Bazha Township, Bainang County is a demonstration village for first-grade highland barley seed fields, with a bumper harvest of 1,000 mu of highland barley, ensuring the interests of grain farmers throughout the village.

According to reports, in 2015, Shigatse City comprehensively planted three new varieties - “Zangqing 2000”, “Himalaya No. 22” and “Shandong No. 7”. After extensively carrying out farmland water conservancy infrastructure construction, dredging and repairing irrigation canals, the maximum yield of highland barley per mu reached 1,100 jin, achieving a bumper grain harvest.

“Previously, we mainly planted local varieties, primarily the blue highland barley of Kamei Township. In recent years, we have been promoting two new highland barley varieties year by year: ‘Zangqing 2000’ and ‘Himalaya No. 22’.” said Suo Pian, deputy director of the Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Bureau of Gyantse County, Shigatse City. The best-growing highland barley reached over 1,100 jin per mu, while the poorest still yielded over 700 jin per mu.

In 2015, Tibet's total grain planting area exceeded 2.55 million mu, of which highland barley sowing area exceeded 1.87 million mu. In addition, the new variety “Zangqing 2000”, which increases yield by an average of 26.5 kg per mu, was promoted over an area of 769,000 mu, ensuring stable growth of highland barley output.

In winter, Tibet's mountains are bare, but in the vegetable greenhouses of Pencang Village, Bazha Township, Bainang County, Shigatse, it is lush and warm as summer, with cucumbers bearing small yellow flowers hanging all over the trellises. Villager Bianba Dundrup, over 50 years old, was picking cucumbers in the greenhouse. “My family has 4 vegetable greenhouses. One greenhouse brings in 10,000 yuan per year, totaling over 40,000 yuan.” Bianba Dundrup said while picking cucumbers.

Pencang Village, which mainly relies on greenhouse vegetable planting and sales, is a “Ten-Thousand Yuan Village” in Bazha Township, Bainang County, Shigatse, with per capita annual income of over 10,000 yuan. The village has 120 greenhouses, with average annual greenhouse vegetable income of over 400,000 yuan. In 2015, Tibet's total vegetable planting area reached 374,200 mu, with output of 827,300 tons.

In order to stimulate farmers' enthusiasm for growing grain and vegetables, Tibet has continuously strengthened policies to benefit agriculture, rural areas and farmers in recent years. Suo Pian, deputy director of the Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Bureau of Gyantse County, told the reporter, “For crop improved seed subsidies, high-quality highland barley gets 15 yuan per mu, wheat gets 10 yuan per mu, and rapeseed gets 10 yuan per mu. Through subsidies, farmers' interests have been genuinely protected.” 

Highland barley has a very long cultivation history on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is the staple food variety of farmers and herders, and has long been integrated into the production and life of the Tibetan ethnic group, becoming an important symbol of Tibetan culture. During festivals, every household prepares a chemar box, filled with highland barley grains and tsampa flour, inserted with colorful highland barley ears and beautiful butter flowers, praying for favorable weather and abundant harvests. 

In 2016, Tibet will establish highland barley high-yield standardized production technology demonstration zones in grain-producing counties and districts such as Gyantse, Bainang, Samzhubze and Lhaze. In non-major grain-producing counties with suitable conditions, at least 1 “hundred-mu thousand-jin” demonstration field will also be built according to local conditions. The demonstration fields will implement full-process mechanized operations, demonstrate standardized high-yield cultivation techniques for improved highland barley varieties, drive local people to learn and apply technology, promote the overall improvement of highland barley production levels in surrounding areas, and ensure food security.