Morel-rice rotation increases farmers' income

By Chen Si, Zeng Xuebin, Yao Xingyu and Zhu Xinyu also contributed to this article.

It is currently the peak season for harvesting morels (Morchella esculenta). Farmers in Yuan’an County have adopted a morel-rice rotation model to boost economic yields, achieving notable success.

Morels are a type of edible fungi highly valued by gourmet cooks. Crop rotation involves growing different types of crops in the same area across multiple growing seasons.

Morel

In the morel-rice rotation, farmers build greenhouses on fallow rice fields after the autumn rice harvest to cultivate morels. Once the morels are ripe and harvested in spring, the greenhouses are removed, and farmers return to rice planting.
 

Farmers harvest morels in the greenhouse.
Photo by Yao Xingyu

“Premium morels can be sold for up to 60 yuan per kilogram,” said Wang Zongbin, head of the morel planting base at the Junxiangyuan Cooperative in Huayuan Village.

In 2021, Wang planted 10 mu (0.66 hectare) of morels on a trial basis. This year, his new base has expanded to 210 mu and is expected to produce 50,000 kilograms of fresh morels, generating more than 4 million yuan (US$540,000) in gross income.

An aerial view of the morel growing greenhouse.
Photo by Meng Yan

Peng Gaoxiang, a native of neighboring Hunan Province, searched several locations to grow morels in China before choosing Xujiazhuang Village in Yuan’an County for its favorable climate and ecological environment.

“The average winter temperature here is over 5 degrees Celsius, and the soil is dry with a suitable sand content,” Peng said. “Three kilograms of fresh morels can be roasted into 500 grams of dried products, whose commercial value can last a long time.”

Peng noted that the company primarily sells through agents to supermarkets in cities such as Shanghai and Guangzhou, with sales exceeding 10 million yuan in 2024.