A farmer surnamed Zhang in Hai'an picks his strawberries in a greenhouse. [Photo/WeChat account: hafbwx]

A farmer surnamed Zhang in Hai'an, a county-level-city in Nantong, Jiangsu province, recently promoted his strawberries both online and offline in an attempt to reduce the impact of the outbreak of novel coronavirus.

Zhang invested more than 1.1 million yuan ($156,430) to set up a total of 32 greenhouses covering over 40 mu (2.67 hectares) for the planting of strawberries and watermelons, many varieties of which grow particularly well in the region. 

Visitors picked over 260 kilograms of strawberries every day before the Spring Festival at a price of about 60 yuan per kg.

Now that everyone is being asked to stay at home, the strawberry park is looking rather empty, despite it being harvest season.

Daily sales revenue exceeded 10,000 yuan during the same period in 2019, while this year it was less than 1,000 yuan, causing concerns for Zhang and his family.

Zhang decided to cooperate with surrounding stores and supermarkets in both wholesale and retail, along with another eight owners of similar strawberry parks. He also posted advertisements on WeChat and participates in an online group for purchase activities.

As the logistics services is gradually resumed, Zhang attempts to expand the market in Shanghai and Guangdong province with the help of online shopping malls, and also makes preparations for the next harvest season of strawberries.

During epidemic control, Zhang has received a fast pass for the transportation of agricultural products, and the local bank has also delayed the repayment date for his loan of over 200,000 yuan.