Picking ranghe is a handy extra source of income for many of Rudong's villagers. [Photo/ntfabu.com]

Eight pickers of ranghe, a prized edible plant perennial herb from the ginger family, carried buckets and cheerfully started a day's work on Aug 2 at a big farm in Rudong county in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province.

They worked for Cao Xinyun, a leading grower of the plant in Chaodun village, Chengzhong sub-district.

Ranghe, with its high medicinal value and delicious flavor, is a popular specialty product Rudong has long been known for.

It is harvest time again – but last winter's deep freeze caused a decrease in this year's production and a delay in general supplies.

By using plastic film mulching and straw mulching, Cao's business has been untouched. She said that the harvest period for her plants was half a month earlier than others, while the output was also much higher. The wholesale price of ranghe is 80 yuan ($12.38) per kilogram when it initially appears on the market. Currently, the price is still around 60 yuan.

"The harvesting will end in September. The average yield is expected to achieve 1,000 kg per mu (15,000 kg per hectare)," Cao said.

"Villagers in their 70s and even 80s who work here can earn about 100 yuan a day," said Cao. She owns 120 mu of forest where the ranghe is planted.