Kaiyang selected as national rural vitalization model county

Kaiyang county's selenium-rich tea industry increases local incomes. [Photo/ddcpc website]

Guiyang's Kaiyang county has earned a spot on the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs' 2025 list of national demonstration counties for rural revitalization.

Kaiyang achieved a grain crop sowing area of 420,000 mu (28,000 hectares) in 2025, while its medicinal herb industry covered 25,890 mu. Output from agricultural sectors grew steadily, while pig breeding operations expanded in scale and improved standardization.

Last year, the county maintained a total arable land area of over 813,000 mu and continued to advance high-standard farmland construction and strengthen agricultural infrastructure, including irrigation systems and field roads.

With its selenium resource advantages, Kaiyang made significant strides in the scale and wealth-creation potential of its selenium-rich tea industry, with tea bases covering 68,600 mu.

Tea production reached 2,865 metric tons, and the tea sector's comprehensive output value exceeded 1.77 billion yuan ($253.1 million), driving income growth for more than 40,000 households, with an average annual increase of over 12,000 yuan per household.

The scale of selenium-rich crop production continued to expand, with a selenium-rich, ready-to-eat meal R&D pilot base established and progress made in developing deep-processed products, including selenium tablets and protein powders.

Kaiyang will focus on consolidating its agricultural foundation, strengthening characteristic industries, optimizing rural development, and implementing livelihood security measures to steadily enhance the county's overall agricultural production capacity.