A dozen farmers are busy picking lily bulbs in Pingwan village, Shanghuacha township, Yuzhong county, Lanzhou, capital of Northwest China's Gansu province.

The township is expected to excavate 1,320 tons this spring and sell them to all parts of the country.

Farmers are busy harvesting lily bulbs in Pingwan village, Shanghuacha township, Yuzhong county, Lanzhou, China's Gansu province, on Mar 21. [Photo/ Lanzhou Daily]

"Our cooperative has a 6.7-hectare lily bulb planting base. Its annual output can reach more than 30 tons, with an output value of about 320,000 yuan ($46,572.8)," said Jin Changxing, head of a local cooperative.

He added that the cooperative has also helped over ten households around Pingwan village increase their income by an average of 15,000 yuan per year.

The cooperative also receive many orders. Storage has also been built to keep produce fresh and relieve sales pressure.

At present, there are 13 lily warehouses in the township with a storage capacity of 6,000 tons. They help promote off-season sales, stabilize the price throughout the year, extend the industrial chain, and improve the agricultural products' competitiveness.