Black fungus fattens villagers’ wallets

Recently, villagers were busy picking ripe black fungus from neatly-arranged rows of mushroom sticks in the planting base of Lianxing Village, Jishou City, Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture.

Black fungus is planted from September to May of the following year, and the rice-black fungus rotation can be achieved in the winter idle land. In early 2023, Xiong Ji, a local villager, tried planting black fungus in the village. It sold well due to its good quality. Then he hoped to develop the industry to increase villagers’ income, which received support from the village cadres.

This year, black fungus has been planted in the whole village. “We have planted 40,000 sticks of black fungus, with a total production of 3,000 kilograms per season. Each kilogram of dry black fungus can be sold for about 60 yuan, with an estimated output revenue of 180,000 yuan,” said Xiong Ji.

Meanwhile, manual laborers are required during the cultivation process of black fungus, allowing women who take care of their children at home to get jobs at their doorstep. At present, the resident working team in the village is actively applying for green food certification for black fungus, helping expand its sales channels and introducing it into supermarkets and school canteens.

“We plan to expand the planting area, and seek financial support from superior departments, in a bid to strengthen the village collective economy,” said Xiong Dashong, Party secretary of Lianxing Village.