BEIJING, June 26 (Xinhua) -- During the harvest season in late June, farmers in the Shunyao Potato Cooperative in Shuiguo Town are busy harvesting a bumper yield across its 160 mu (about 10.7 hectares) of potatoes.
Based in Zaozhuang City, east China's Shandong Province, the cooperative's harvest is hard-won, which is attributed to scientific cultivation and premium seed varieties.
"It has not been a bed of roses," said Wang Wei, the person in charge of the cooperative, adding that with support from the local government, the cooperative was established in 2014 and greenhouse cultivation has been introduced since then.
Their signature product, "Zhongjia No.7", is highly sought after in the market for its premium quality. A graded sales strategy categorizing potatoes by size has been introduced to maximize profits for farmers.
By pooling resources, standardizing techniques, and securing sales channels, the cooperative enables farmers to improve planting skills and access markets more easily.
In 2024, the cooperative achieved an output value of over 5 million yuan (about 697,300 U.S. dollars) and a net profit of 2.15 million yuan, and increased farmers' income by more than 20 million yuan.
(Edited by Li Shimeng with Xinhua Silk Road, lishimeng@xinhua.org)
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