Rapeseeds drive Kaiyang's development

Blooming rape flowers turn fields in Huali town, Kaiyang county into a sea of gold. [Photo/Guiyang news network]

Rapeseed cultivation has become a new economic growth driver for Kaiyang county in Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province.

According to preliminary statistics from tourism department in Kaiyang county, the number of tourists to Kaiyang this year that came to view flowers, especially rape flowers, may reach 600,000.

The county is expected to earn more than 100 million yuan ($15.01 million) in tourism revenue this year, more than double last year's figure.

Local people not only benefit from selling rapeseed, but also from organizing rapeseed flower sightseeing activities and rearing bees.

The average income generated from one mu of rapeseed is 800 yuan, according to Wu Hong, deputy director of the Kaiyang bureau of agriculture and rural affairs.

"For farmers, there are limited benefits to planting rapeseed alone.”

However, promoting the integration of rapeseed cultivation with rural tourism and other activities has resulted in living-standard improvements and increased food security.

"The government selects the rapeseed seeds, subsidizes fertilizer, offers preferential services are for farming and harvesting, and uses drones to uniformly spray pesticide," said Zhou Bifen, a Kaiyang farmer, in an interview with the People's Daily.

Last year, with the support of the government, Zhou planted 30 mu of rapeseed and operated a nongjiale, or farm homestay business, by herself.

Her total annual income in 2021 exceeded 100,000 yuan.