Growing mulberries and raising silkworms helps farmers escape poverty and become prosperous

On May 9, in a mulberry field in Jiaomei Village, Jiucheng Town, Pingguo County, Guangxi, a silkworm farmer picks mulberry leaves, preparing to take them home to raise silkworms.

In recent years, Guangxi has listed the mulberry and silkworm industry as one of the emerging agricultural industries to be prioritized for accelerated development, and its mulberry field area and silkworm cocoon output have ranked first in the country for consecutive years. In 2010, Guangxi's silkworm cocoon output reached 214,300 tons, accounting for one third of the national total. Growing mulberries and raising silkworms helped 832,000 farming households escape poverty and become prosperous, with farmers' income from selling cocoons reaching nearly 6.7 billion yuan.

A villager picks silkworm cocoons in a silkworm rearing room in Jiaomei Village, Jiucheng Town, Pingguo County, Guangxi (photographed on May 2, 2010).

On May 9, in Xingning Village, Jiucheng Town, Pingguo County, Guangxi, a silkworm farmer carries silkworm cocoons ready for sale.

On May 9, in Xingning Village, Jiucheng Town, Pingguo County, Guangxi, a silkworm farmer puts harvested silkworm cocoons into baskets ready for sale.