Villagers manage Longshan Lily

Villagers were busy weeding the lily planting base in Shipai Town, Longshan County, Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture on May 21.

“Last year, lilies grew well, with a yield of 250 to 400 grams per lily. This year, the yield will not be less than that of last year,” said Luo Zhonghua, president of the Longshan County Lily Association. In order to increase income of villagers nearby, the town has established two lily planting demonstration bases in Guiying Village and Shangmu Village with the model of “cooperatives plus bases plus farmers”. During the sowing, management, and harvesting seasons, more than 80 villagers in the surrounding area can get jobs, and it is expected that each person can increase income by more than 10,000 yuan per year.

The lilies planted in Longshan County, with orange red flowers, curled petals, and a slightly bitter taste, can be used as medicine and food.

Longshan County has grown about 100,000 mu (about 666.67 hectares) of lilies throughout the year, with a yield of 100,000 tons and a production value of 1 billion yuan.

In 2023, the price of lilies reached a new high, with a production value exceeding 3 billion yuan. Lily has become an important industry for enriching the people in Longshan County. Longshan County is the largest lily producing area in China and is known as the “hometown of lilies in China”. Longshan Lily is also a national geographical indication product. In addition to local cultivation, Chongqing, Guizhou, Hubei, and Anhui are also important planting areas. Series of products like dried lilies, lily fine powder, and lily vermicelli are popular in more than 20 provinces and cities across the country.

In order to improve quality and extend the industrial chain, the county is stepping up efforts to break through the bottleneck of lily development, strengthen technological empowerment, and develop precise processing of lilies to promote the upgrading of the lily industry and boost villagers’ income.