Yunnan sprouting into China's ‘vegetable basket'
From sweet apples in Zhaotong to traditional cured meats in Xuanwei and leafy vegetables in Luliang, the highlands are cultivating not only crops, but also opportunities for the 88 counties in the province that have been lifted out of poverty.
Perched on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and located in the heartland of the Wumeng Mountains in the northeast of the province, Zhaotong was once a city with the largest impoverished population in China.
Now, it is Southwest China's largest producer of apples thanks to its low latitude, high elevation, generous sunshine and dramatic daily temperature swings. These ideal growing conditions have made Zhaotong's apples sweet, crisp and nationally recognised.
With nearly 165,000 acres under cultivation, Zhaotong harvested 1.3 million metric tonnes of apples last year, generating a revenue of 15 billion yuan (£1.55 billion). The apple industry has directly benefitted 138,000 households, touching the lives of over half a million residents, according to local officials.
In April of last year, apples from Zhaotong made headlines when they were included in the fresh food supply aboard the Shenzhou XVIII spacecraft.
A major individual orchard in Zhaotong's Zhaoyang district covers 16,500 acres with 118 apple varieties, one of the largest of its kind. Yang Longjiang, director of the district's industry development centre, said advanced agricultural techniques learned from New Zealand and elsewhere are yielding world-class results.
'The orchard applies dwarf rootstocks that yield fruit faster and uses an integrated drip irrigation system that can precisely deliver water and fertiliser, conserving precious resources,' Yang said.
'Combined with monthly wages from working at the base, we can earn 80,000 yuan (£8,290) a year and live a better life,' said Ding Kaiwen, a former tobacco farmer who works in the orchards with his wife. Their family also receives an annual land lease payment of 14,400 yuan (£1,490).
Xuanwei ham, a dry-cured speciality with a legacy dating back centuries, is another Yunnan food speciality that has found its place on the dinner tables of Chinese consumers. It sits alongside Italy's Parma ham and Spain's Iberico ham. In 2023, the pig farming and ham industry in Xuanwei generated over 18.5 billion yuan (£1.92 billion), producing nearly 70,000 tonnes of ham and lifting thousands of households out of poverty.
Inspired by European models, Lap-Jon Ham invested 360 million yuan (£37.3 million) into advanced facilities, importing Italian fermentation systems and automating the aging process to allow year-round production.
A modern factory capable of producing 3,200 tonnes of premium ham annually has been built, alongside salami and ham-filled pastries. Last year, the company reported an output value of 478 million yuan (£49.5 million) and created over 600 local jobs.
The agricultural reinvention of Yunnan extends to the vast, fertile plains of Luliang county in Qujing, the largest flatland on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau.
The unique geography and climate of the county in the east of the province have made it an agricultural powerhouse, and the thriving vegetable industry is feeding cities across China and reaching tables as far away as Dubai.
The region has an average annual temperature of 15.2 C, a frost-free period of 335 days, fertile soil and abundant water resources, making year-round production of vegetables possible.
'Thanks to these favourable natural conditions, we can grow a wide variety of fresh, eco-friendly vegetables all year round,' said Zhang Raofang, deputy director of Luliang's agriculture and rural affairs bureau.
Italian lettuce, romaine, napa cabbage and Shanghai bok choy are among the stars of the leafy industry. About 93 per cent of its harvest is shipped to markets from Beijing to Dubai, Zhang said.
The vegetable industry employs 210,000 people in Luliang, from planting and processing to packaging and transport, boosting average household incomes by over 28,000 yuan (£2,910) a year, Zhang said.
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