Workers pick African daisies in a greenhouse in Changgang village, Rugao. [Photo/WeChat account: rugaofabu]

As temperatures rise, farmers are busy harvesting African daisies at a plantation in Changgang village, Rugao.

"We are happy that we can still earn more than 60 yuan ($9) per day by working in the plantation in our 60s and 70s," said Zhu Yulan, who has been working at the plantation since it was established in June 2019.

According to the 68-year-old, villagers earned less than 800 yuan by farming 1 mu (667 square meters) of land per year. Now they can receive more than 1,000 yuan by renting the land, and bring in more income by working in the plantation.

The plantation is less than 50 meters away from Zhu’s home, allowing her to earn a living while taking care of her husband who is in poor health.

"The plantation consists of some 80 greenhouses, mainly producing African daisies and white chrysanthemums, which are sold to wholesalers in Rugao, Hai'an, Taizhou, and Dongtai," said Wei Wei, operator of the plantation.

According to Wei, his high-quality flowers have been well-received at the local market. His annual output is valued at about 800,000 yuan.

In recent years, Changgang village has been working to upgrade its agricultural structure. The flower planting industry, as part of its efforts, have helped increased farmers' incomes and thereby improved their living standards.