In recent years, Tianhe town in Luocheng Mulao autonomous county has promoted common prosperity among residents by developing specialty agriculture through cooperatives.

Distinctive local farming includes the cultivation of waxy corn, Chinese herbal medicine and various fruits, as well as the breeding of animals such as black pigs, sheep, cattle and bamboo rats. The town has established 16 cooperatives to provide integrated services for production, purchasing and sales.

The cooperative specialized for the planting of Chinese herbal medicine harvested 1,500 tons of Chinese wormwood worth 12 million yuan ($1.8 million) in 2016, and an output value of 9.6 million yuan is expected for this year. The cooperative for characteristic planting and breeding in Beihua village has planted 1,300 mu (86.7 hectares) of granulated sugar oranges, with over 200 mu of the trees starting to bear fruit this year.

The cooperative for the planting of Chinese herbal medicine in Tianhe town purchases Chinese wormwood cultivated by local farmers. [Photo by Luo Yuanning /Hechi Daily]