Mushroom farming boosts rural incomes in Xinjiang's Wenquan County

Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily (Reporter Bai Sujun) news: On July 28, 2026, in Bogedaer Village, Zhalemute Township, Wenquan County, Bortala Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, grower Azbazbek Yeradil and workers were busy in standardized greenhouses. They sorted, packaged, and crated freshly harvested black fungus and snow lotus mushrooms before loading them onto transport vehicles operated by purchasers. Watching high-quality fresh mushrooms being loaded for shipment, Azbazbek beamed with the joy of a successful harvest.

The mushroom harvest is currently at its peak season, with fresh produce from the standardized greenhouses selling briskly. Meanwhile, processed dried mushrooms are being marketed online and shipped across China. Azbazbek is one of the growers supported by Tianyuan Flowers Co., Ltd. in Wenquan County. Many local farmers participate in edible mushroom cultivation through a model in which the company provides fungus spawn bags, technical guidance and guaranteed purchasing. The booming production and sales are underpinned by the well-developed industrial chain of the company.

Leveraging distinctive climatic conditions of Wenquan County, the company has been working on strain purification and rejuvenation, as well as off-season propagation, thereby ensuring uninterrupted year-round mushroom production and sales.

Photo taken on June 26, 2026 shows a staff member of Tianyuan Flowers Co., Ltd. in Wenquan County (the first from the right) recommends mushroom products to customers during the 9th China-Eurasia Expo in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo by Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily/Bai Sujun)

"Our company is engaged not only in flower and vegetable cultivation but also in the intensive development of edible mushroom production. We have established an industrialized model integrating the company, production bases, cooperatives, and farmers, involving more than a hundred villagers in mushroom cultivation," said Cai Feng, head of Tianyuan Flowers Co., Ltd. in Wenquan County. The company has established standardized bases for mushroom strain propagation and spawn bag production. It supplies high-quality spawn bags to growers in Bogedaer Village and surrounding villages, provides technical guidance throughout field management, and collects fresh mushrooms directly from growers once they mature. The harvested mushrooms are then centrally sorted, dried, and further processed, creating a fully integrated industrial chain extending from field cultivation to both online and offline sales.

At present, the planting area of the company covers 1,500 mu (100 hectares), featuring specialty mushrooms including morel, red pine mushroom and snow lotus mushroom. It has developed a comprehensive industrial system encompassing standardized cultivation, spawn bag production, drying and packaging, primary processing, and the research and development of new varieties.

When he founded the company, Cai mainly focused on flower and sapling cultivation. Over time, he accumulated increasingly extensive technical expertise and practical experience. In 2013, leveraging the climatic conditions of Wenquan County, he shifted to edible mushroom cultivation. He led workers on study visits to Yunnan, Anhui, Sichuan, and other regions. Beginning with small-scale courtyard trials and understory cultivation, the team continuously refined the mushroom cultivation techniques.

To further expand the scale of the industry, Cai has invested a total of 30 million yuan (about 4.44 million U.S. dollars) in the construction of 171 standardized greenhouses, a specialized laboratory, and five cold-storage facilities. He has also worked with five townships across the county to establish specialized farmers' cooperatives. At present, the company produces 18 varieties of fresh and dried mushrooms, which are distributed nationwide through diversified online and offline sales channels.

"After joining the cooperative, we have not only mastered the full set of mushroom cultivation techniques, but also received annual dividends from the enterprise, earning 60,000 yuan (about 8,878 U.S. dollars) a year," said Azbazbek.

Grower Oukabi said that she and her husband previously had to travel elsewhere for work. Since joining the edible mushroom cooperative, she has acquired cultivation skills and secured employment close to home, enabling her to care for her family while earning an income.

According to Cai, the company is developing a modern agricultural demonstration base integrating mushroom-strain demonstration, cultivation promotion, mushroom-picking tourism, popular science and research study. The expansion of large-scale cultivation is expected to create employment opportunities and increase incomes for a greater number of local residents.

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