Small mushrooms prop up farmers' road to prosperity in Xinghuo Township, Lanxi County, Heilongjiang

Recently, the author visited the Hongsheng Edible Mushroom Planting Professional Cooperative in Xinsheng Village, Xinghuo Township, Lanxi County. Upon entering an oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) growing greenhouse, an intoxicating mushroom aroma greeted the senses, both ends of each mushroom bag were covered with fresh, tender mushrooms, and the faces of the mushroom farmers picking them were filled with happy smiles.

The edible mushroom industry is a key poverty-alleviation industry in Xinghuo Township. In accordance with the requirements of targeted poverty alleviation, this year Xinghuo Township has taken the edible mushroom industry as its number one industry for developing modern agriculture and promoting farmers' income growth, striving to build a one-village-one-product characteristic economy, truly letting small mushrooms prop up an "umbrella of prosperity for the people."

The Hongsheng Edible Mushroom Planting Professional Cooperative in Xinsheng Village, Xinghuo Township was established in May 2015. At present, the cooperative has invested more than 6 million yuan and built 40 standardized mushroom-producing greenhouses, planting 900,000 bags of oyster mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms (Lentinula edodes), with an annual output of 950 tons of edible mushrooms. The main products are shiitake mushrooms, oyster mushrooms and other fungi. The products are sold by order and are shipped year-round to fruit and vegetable wholesale markets in Harbin, Anda, Daqing and other places. It can achieve an output value of more than 6 million yuan and a net benefit of more than 600,000 yuan.

"Last year I planted 40,000 bags of oyster mushrooms, producing about 16 tons, with a total income of more than 40,000 yuan. I also raised more than 70 pigs myself and planted more than 100 mu of corn. In the busy farming season I plant corn, and in the slack season I raise pigs and grow mushrooms. Over the year I earned 170,000 to 180,000 yuan." Cooperative member Jin Mingjun said happily.

"Now that I've become prosperous myself, I can't forget my fellow villagers." This is a saying that Li Hongsheng, chairman of the cooperative, often keeps on his lips. Since the cooperative was established, he has constantly encouraged the surrounding rural people to join the cooperative, leading everyone to prosperity together. Not only that, he also has other methods for helping farmers increase their income.

"Our cooperative currently has 21 farming households as members, and at the same time drives 15 surrounding households to grow edible mushrooms. The cooperative provides farmers with ambient-temperature mushroom greenhouses free of charge, provides technical services and guidance free of charge, and helps farmers sell finished mushrooms. Now each household can earn more than 30,000 yuan a year. At the same time, our cooperative also employs more than 100 rural women to work in the cooperative, filling mushroom bags and picking mushrooms for us. In March and April, when the cooperative makes mushroom bags, each woman earns more than 200 yuan a day, and over the year each worker's income increases by more than 20,000 yuan on average." Cooperative chairman Li Hongsheng told the author.

Through Li Hongsheng's leadership, the farming households that joined the cooperative all have channels to increase their income, and for him now, how to continue to make the edible mushroom industry bigger and stronger and lead more people onto the road to prosperity is the most important thing at present.

"Next year I plan to invest another 5 million yuan to build an edible mushroom ready-to-eat food processing factory, put up a 3,000 sq m steel-frame factory building and a 500 cubic meter cold storage, continue to expand the planting area, and at the same time bring in 60 more surrounding farming households to join the cooperative, driving everyone to increase income and become prosperous together." Speaking of his plans for the future, cooperative chairman Li Hongsheng's plain face was filled with a happy smile.

In Lanxi County, many mushroom growers like Li Hongsheng have achieved increased production and income. As of now, the whole county has more than 300 edible mushroom growing households, mainly growing oyster mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, nameko mushrooms (Pholiota microspora) and wine-cap stropharia (Stropharia rugosoannulata), with an annual output of about 1,500 tons of edible mushrooms and an output value of more than 20 million yuan.