Lotus planting helps poverty alleviation in Hechi

Aerial view of lotus ponds in Jiuxu town, Jinchengjiang district, Hechi. [Photo by Chen Guanyan/chinanews.com]

Children walk on the path between the lotus ponds. [Photo by Chen Guanyan/chinanews.com]

A villager picks lotuses in the ponds. [Photo by Chen Guanyan/chinanews.com]

Jiuxu town in Jinchengjiang district, Hechi has made great efforts to help increase villagers' incomes and lift them out of poverty through industrial development and tourism.

Utilizing the rich water resources and beautiful scenery of Yadong village, Jiuxu town has transformed more than 400 mu (26.67 hectares) of rice fields into lotus ponds. It has carried out comprehensive industrial development by growing fish in the ponds, growing passion fruit by the ponds, and developing lotus seed products. The output value of the lotus ponds reached more than 5,000 yuan ($713.88) per mu, greatly increasing farmers' incomes and boosting poverty alleviation industries in Jinchengjiang district.