Zoigê Expands Plateau Turnip Industry to Support Rural Revitalisation
Dragon Media News Desk
Zoigê County in southwest China’s Sichuan Province is expanding the production, processing and marketing of its distinctive plateau turnips to promote rural revitalisation and increase farmers’ incomes.
According to the Tibetan-language report, students at Dongne School in Thewo Township recently enjoyed dishes prepared with locally grown turnips in the school canteen. The nutritious local speciality has proved popular among the children.
The initiative is part of Zoigê County’s efforts to improve the quality and economic value of local agricultural products through standardised processing. Supplying locally produced turnips to schools is being presented as a model connecting specialised agriculture, food processing, market expansion and rural development.
Turnips are a traditional plateau crop valued for both their nutritional and medicinal properties. They can grow in cold and dry environments and have been cultivated by local communities for generations.
For many years, however, the absence of standardised processing facilities and appropriate technology limited cultivation. Most turnips were consumed directly, while production remained small and the crop’s added value was low. This made it difficult to transform the high-quality agricultural resource into an industry capable of raising local incomes.
To address these challenges, the locally based Tibetan Village Quality Agricultural Products Company Limited established a standardised processing plant. The facility has developed an integrated production system covering cleaning, grading, sterilisation and packaging.
The company has also standardised the production process and introduced strict food-safety controls. The opening of the facility has helped remove a major obstacle separating turnip cultivation from commercial processing.
Turnips that were previously produced in limited quantities for direct consumption can now be transformed through standardised processing into safe, healthy and nutritious food products. The processed turnips are supplied to schools across the county as a distinctive local component of students’ meals.
The school supply programme has diversified students’ diets while helping children better understand agricultural products from their home region. It has also created a broader and more stable market for local turnips.
Zoigê has now formed an industrial chain linking cultivation, processing, marketing and school distribution. This system provides farmers with a dependable sales channel and supports steady growth in household incomes.
Local authorities regard industrial development as a foundation of rural revitalisation. The county plans to further improve turnip-processing technology, extend the industrial chain and increase the added value of its products through a more standardised production system.
Zoigê will also strengthen branding for high-quality local agricultural products and promote the higher-quality development of its plateau speciality agriculture. The goal is to transform the modest turnip crop into a major industry supporting income growth, employment and rural revitalisation.
