On February 21, in the rice processing plant in Zila Village, Shilan Town, Huayuan County, Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, more than 250 kg of Zila tribute rice was transported to Changsha and Jishou after various processes such as hulling, milling, fine screening, and packaging.
“Since February 19, we have received orders for over 1,250 kg of Zila tribute rice from Changsha, Jishou, and Huayuan, with a total value of over 27,000 yuan,” said Li Guozhen, first secretary of Zila Village.
The rice cultivation in Zila Village has a history of more than 700 years. The rice in the village was selected as a tribute during the reign of Emperors Qianlong and Jiajing of the Qing Dynasty due to its plump grains and strong aroma.
In June 2017, the composite planting and breeding system of Zila tribute rice was included in the fourth batch of China’s Important Agricultural Cultural Heritage. It’s the first agricultural heritage project in Xiangxi Prefecture to win the honor.
In the past, Zila tribute rice was mainly planted and sold by individual farmers, with a small scale, no quality guarantee, and low economic benefits.
Shilan Town continued to explore the ways of transformation and upgrading. In 2023, the town unified the variety, production technology, processing, packaging, and sales of the product, so as to improve the rice quality and economic benefits. On January 13, Zila tribute rice registered the national geographical indication certification trademark, achieving a zero breakthrough in Huayuan County.
Since the beginning of this year, Shilan Town has sold over 5,000 kg of rice online and offline, with sales exceeding 100,000 yuan.
“Next, we will sign long-term transportation contracts with logistics companies, establish a complete order handling process, and explore diversified sales channels, in a bid to make the transportation and sales of Zila tribute rice more stable and efficient,” said Li Guozhen.
