Volunteers and disabled people plant grape seedlings at a plantation in Gangzha district, Nantong. [Photo/ntfabu.com]

A total of 150 grape seedlings were planted by disabled people in Chongchuan district, Nantong, Jiangsu province, at a plantation in Qinglong Bridge Community on March 10, along with a group of local volunteers.

The Qinglong Bridge Community is one of several communities in the major urban area that still has farmland. In light of the coronavirus outbreak, the community has made careful preparations for spring ploughing.

In order to help improve the quality of life of disabled people, the community has also invited several local disabled people to learn about grape cultivation techniques from experienced farmers.

According to Li Hanlin, a disabled community resident, he used to barely be able to scrape by on part-time jobs. But now he has been able to increase his income by 30,000 yuan ($4,320) by serving as a worker at the plantation.

Li Mingsi, secretary of the community's Party committee, said that a new type of high-quality grape seedling has been introduced to the plantation this year. It is more expensive than other grapes and ripens later as well. It is expected to bring in more money for disabled people.