The chicken raising areas are surrounded by mountains and trees. [Photo/hcwang.cn]

The Fengshan production base of Wanshougu Group has witnessed a sharp growth in orders for Fengshan ecological chicken and chicken soup since May this year and in big cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou the supply has not been adequate for the demand.

Some 4,000 supermarkets have signed orders for the products but are out of stock with only 1,054 supermarkets being supplied, according to Wang Bo, administration manager of the group.

Situated in the transitional zone between the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau and the Guangxi Basin, Fengshan has a high forest coverage rate of 82 percent, with 330,000 mu (22,000 hectares) of walnuts, 220,000 mu of star anise and 290,000 mu of camellia oleifera. It is an ideal place to raise Fengshan walnut chickens.

Fengshan county attracted Wanshougu Group in 2016, and has invested 200 million yuan ($29 million) setting up chicken raising areas for 98 villages over more than two years. Meanwhile, with an investment of 450 million yuan, Wanshougu group brought in international advanced technologies for further processing.

With 100 million yuan behind its brand promotion, Fengshan walnut chicken has become known all over the country and is marketed in high-end sales outlets in every major city.

With 466 chicken raising areas in Fengshan, the chicken industry offers more than 1,300 jobs to local farmers, and generates an income of over 200,000 yuan to every village collective annually, which is indeed a good way to boost local economic development.