Residents in Panam county harvest watermelons in a greenhouse farm.
 

Rural residents in Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region celebrated the fifth Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival in late September, expecting a bumper harvest and more revenues for this year.

 

The festival was celebrated with both joy and labor as farmers throughout the autonomous region harvested autumn grains including highland barley and fruits.

 

In the village of Namsailing in Drachi township in Dranang county, farmers find joy in a new variety of apples.

 

According to Zeng Mingqiang, an official of the village, the local apple plantation is a new industry growing out of the efforts of agricultural researchers.

 

"Apple is a novel crop to Dranang, with a planting history of less than a decade," Zeng said.

 

Researchers found that the county, with an average altitude of about 3,600 meters, was not suitable for growing common apples seen in the rest of the country, according to Zeng.

 

"The researchers have spent years on breeding the varieties suitable for our local condition. And they finally developed an arboret variety, which proves a great success after years of plantation," Zeng said.

 

As the arboret apples won popularity among buyers throughout the autonomous region, a greater number of visitors also went to Zeng's village and the neighboring areas to see how the novel fruits grow and are harvested.

 

"So we have seen two industries — apple farming and rural tourism — taking shape in our village," Zeng said. "Sales of apples and catering to tourists are now the two major sources of revenue for Namsailing."

 

Other industries also derive from the apples.

 

Villager Urgyan, for instance, bought a lorry three years ago to transport apples and other produce from the village to the rest of Tibet.

 

"The transportation business can generate a revenue of 6,000 yuan ($843) every month on average," Urgyan said.

 

Like Namsailing, developing diverse industries is now a viable path for rural vitalization throughout the Tibet autonomous region.

 

Farmers in Rukyog village in the county of Shaitongmon in Shigatse, for instance, have the same approach to economic development and revenue growth.

 

The village has also turned its fruit orchards into lingka, or parks, for receiving tourists, according to Ma Taiping, head of the village.

 

He added that farmers have operated breakfast-and-bed businesses, shops and restaurants near the lingka.

 

"So far this year, the fledgling orchard lingka industry has brought additional revenues to our village," Ma said. "I believe the revenues will increase steadily in the years to come with the increasing popularity of our orchard lingka."

 

As Rukyog village is known for its craftsmen like masons and carpenters in the region, Ma said the village's officials are planning to establish a construction company to help the craftsmen secure a greater market share.

 

"We can find a lot of construction companies in Tibet, but it's rare to find hundreds of craftsmen like ours capable of building genuine Tibetan-style houses. It involves knowing complicated skills such as masonry, carpentry, engraving and painting," Ma said. "I believe our planned company can develop into a prosperous business and bring more revenue to our villagers."

 

In the village of Pema in Lhayul township in the county of Chonggyai, local resident Nyima Tenzin operates a cattle farm.

 

His family has made a fortune through selling yak milk and dairy products.

 

When talking about his growing business in recent years, Nyima Tenzin offered his special thanks to village official Yu Xuefei.

 

Yu, in her 20s, was a university graduate from the city of Lhokha. She offered to work in this remote village after her graduation, according to Nyima Tenzin.

 

"We have been engaged in cattle farming for many decades," Nyima Tenzin said. "We had to keep our operations in a smaller scale because sales were a problem for us."

 

The situation has changed for the better since Yu's arrival.

 

Yu, who Nyima Tenzin calls an "urban girl", is open-minded. She's good at identifying and building connections with dealers and manufacturers in cities.

 

"With the help of Yu, representatives of a dairy producer in Lhokha came to our village, signing milk-purchasing agreements with us," Nyima Tenzin said. "They promise to buy as much milk as we can produce, which made it possible for us to expand our operational scale and increase our family revenues."

 

The villager said Yu has also helped residents develop greenhouses for vegetable farming, which adds another source of revenue.

 

"When we celebrate the farmers' harvest festival, we regard it an occasion to give our gratitude to those who have helped us," Nyima Tenzin said.

 

By YUAN SHENGGAO