Villagers in Xingwang village harvest red sage on the planting base of Jiangsu Chenli Agricultural Technology. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Xingwang village in Donghai town, Qidong has witnessed a boost in land revenue and increased income for farmers through the cultivation of danshen, also known as red sage root, a traditional Chinese medicine herb.

In March 2023, Jiangsu Chenli Agricultural Technology established a 300-mu (20-hectare) planting base in Xingwang village dedicated to growing the medicinal herb. According to Shi Xinyu, an employee of the company, red sage root has specific requirements for soil texture, and the farmland in Xingwang village is highly suitable for its cultivation. He also noted the increasing demand for the herb in the market over the past two years has led to a moderate rise in prices.

This year, the 300-mu planting base in Xingwang village has achieved a bountiful harvest, with an average yield of about 1,500 kilograms per mu. The expected total output value is around 2.5 million yuan ($349,933).

Lu Yibo, Party secretary of Xingwang, revealed that the village's collective revenue is set to increase by nearly 100,000 yuan. Villagers engaged in the red sage cultivation have not only earned more income but have also learned specialized cultivation techniques.

The growth cycle of red sage is usually as long as 11 months and involves a significant amount of manual labor, ranging from 20 to 80 or more workers daily. Shi, the Chenli employee, noted that the company has paid over 400,000 yuan in wages to its workers.