Bamboo fungus is hailed as the Snow-skirt Fairy, propping up an umbrella of prosperity for farmers
Recently, this writer visited the bamboo fungus planting base in Lintang Township, Longnan County, and saw bamboo fungi with umbrella-shaped fruiting bodies, like "fairies" in snow-white skirts dancing gracefully, while villagers carefully picked them.
"You've come at just the right time to see the bamboo fungus break through its bud and open its skirt." Seeing this writer's arrival, He Xingcai, the person in charge of the base, greeted him warmly. He told this writer that from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., bamboo fungus grows fastest and produces the most mushrooms, and during this period the bamboo fungus needs to be picked by workers in time, because as the temperature rises, the grown bamboo fungus will shrink back again. "After picking, the bamboo fungus must be put into a drying room to be dried and processed into dried goods, which is the only way to extend its shelf life," He Xingcai said.
It is understood that bamboo fungus is one of the precious edible fungi, and because of its graceful form and delicious taste it is hailed as the "Snow-skirt Fairy" and the "Queen of Fungi." In 2014, by a chance opportunity, He Xingcai came into contact with bamboo fungus. He found that bamboo fungus not only has high nutritional value and a high product price, but also has large market demand. If the bamboo fungus industry could be introduced to Dongheng Village, where he is located, it would certainly become a local characteristic prosperity industry.
He Xingcai is a native of Dongheng Village, Lintang Township, Longnan County. After graduating from university in 2011, he gave up the opportunity to work in a big city and returned to his hometown to become a university student village official, determined to change the backward appearance of his hometown. Dongheng Village has clear mountains and waters, beautiful scenery, and abundant bamboo and wood resources. For a long time, the villagers had not made good use of this resource advantage, the foundation for industrial development was weak, and the villagers' economic income was relatively low. Leading the villagers to develop industries and helping fellow villagers escape poverty and become prosperous was He Xingcai's greatest wish.
In 2015, He Xingcai transferred 16 mu of land and began trial planting of bamboo fungus. In order to master bamboo fungus cultivation and management techniques, he sent technical personnel to learn at a bamboo fungus planting base in Fujian, while also teaching himself through books and the internet, and then repeatedly practicing in the fields. Over the course of a year, in production he mastered techniques such as soil improvement, plant protection management, and drying. The bamboo fungus he cultivated was crisp and refreshing, sweet and delicious, and won the favor of customers. Now, the base's planting scale has expanded to 50 mu, with an output value of more than 13,000 yuan per mu, and many merchants have come to place orders.
"I have lumbar disc herniation and can't do tiring or heavy work. Now every morning I pick bamboo fungus here, and in the afternoon I do my own farm work. I can earn more than 1,000 yuan a month. This job suits me too well." Zheng Cai'e, a poor household, said cheerfully to this writer. This writer learned that cultivating and picking bamboo fungus requires a large amount of labor. At present, the base has hired more than 30 rural women to work, including 8 poor household laborers, and each person can earn more than 1,000 yuan a month.
"As a Party member and a university student village official, taking the lead in developing industries and leading fellow villagers to escape poverty and become prosperous is my duty, and also my long-standing wish. I plan to establish a bamboo fungus planting farmers' cooperative, and in combination with the surrounding leisure tourism projects, further expand the scale of the bamboo fungus industry, so that more villagers can embark on the road to prosperity," He Xingcai said.