Black fungus industry helps farmers in Arong Banner, Inner Mongolia escape poverty and become prosperous

In recent years, the black fungus cultivation industry in Arong Banner, Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia, has continued to grow and expand, and a large number of people who have become prosperous through black fungus cultivation have emerged. Li Guojun, a poor household in Lianhe Village, Xing'an Town, Arong Banner, made a splendid transformation from a poor household through black fungus cultivation and became the leader of black fungus cultivation in the village, making black fungus cultivation a key industry for Lianhe Village to escape poverty and become prosperous.

After the poverty alleviation work began in 2016, the government organized villagers willing to grow black fungus to study cultivation techniques in other townships, and also hired technical personnel to provide villagers with professional technical guidance. The banner-level unit assisting Lianhe Village, the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau, purchased 30,000 fungus bags for Li Guojun and others. After careful tending, that year the net income from black fungus alone reached 50,000 yuan, allowing Li Guojun's family to take off the "hat" of poverty.

Over the past year, Li Guojun has actively developed the black fungus industry. Now the fungus harvest is good and income has increased. Not only has he taken off his own poor household "hat," he has also helped the villagers increase their income. For future development, Li Guojun has already planned an ambitious blueprint. "Next year I plan to establish a black fungus cultivation cooperative, and at the same time expand the scale of black fungus cultivation, encourage more farmers to join the cooperative, and help poor households escape poverty," Li Guojun said.

It is understood that in order to help the poor households in the whole town escape poverty and become prosperous as soon as possible, Lianhe Village in Xing'an Town has closely combined industrial development with the poverty alleviation work, adapted measures to local conditions, and guided the people to develop industries. On the basis of having accumulated valuable experience and achieved certain results in the black fungus industry, town and village officials encouraged the villagers, especially poor households, to take the development of the black fungus industry as a starting point to increase income. In the next step, Xing'an Town will promote the growth and expansion of the black fungus cultivation industry in four villages including Lianhe and Qidaoquanzi through establishing a "Party Member Demonstration Base for Black Fungus Cultivation."