Farmers busy harvesting lotus roots in Qingpu
It is time again to harvest lotus roots in Qingpu District, which absorb nourishment from lotus flowers during the summer and become plump in September.
In Liantan Town's Taibei Village, where lotus roots are one of local residents' main crops, farmers have been busy digging lotus roots out in the boundless lotus leaves.
It is tiring and hard work to dig out lotus roots. The lotus digger steps into water wearing waterproof pants, carefully peeling away layers of lotus leaves, crouching low, then carefully searching for the "sleeping" position of the "root baby."
On the bank of the lotus pond, a farmer surnamed Zhu started harvesting the lotus roots at the beginning of September.
A lotus digger holds the lotus roots from a pond in Liantang Town.
"I have been planting lotus roots for nearly 10 years," Zhu said. "This year, my planting area is 58 mu (3.87 hectares) and the yield per mu is about 1,900 kilograms."
After digging out and weighing up, these lotus roots were put into a vehicle, ready to be sold at surrounding markets and served on local tables.
Relying on the advantages of the geographical environment, Liantang Town is putting effort into lotus root planting, which effectively promotes the local planting industry's development.
The current lotus root-planting area in the town is 2,846.77 mu. The lotus roots are mainly sold to wholesale markets and supermarkets citywide for about 2.5 yuan (36 US cents) per 500 grams.
