Agronomist checking vegetable exports at a Fanian Agricultural Products Trading Co storage site. [Photo/xinhuanet.com]

The city of Zhangye, in Gansu province has become an organic vegetable producer for certain Central Asian markets, with the exports playing a major role in increasing farmer incomes in recent years.

Zhangye's exports of fresh vegetables, such as tomatoes and onions worth more than $10 million annually.

Zhangye has been taking advantage of the opportunities offered by China's new Belt and Road Initiative to export top quality vegetables grown at relatively high altitude for example to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

Zhangye's organic vegetable fields cover more than 50,000 hectares and are worth approximately 3-billion yuan annually.

To increase sales, the city has leading enterprises working with professional cooperatives in funding, projects, technology and information, with support from the municipal government.