Crayfish drive rural vitalization

A chef cooks crayfish at a restaurant in Xuyi, Jiangsu province, on March 8. WANG JIANMIN/XINHUA

In the picturesque countryside of Xuyi county, Jiangsu province, the arrival of spring not only brings blossoming flowers and lush greenery but also heralds the season of fresh crayfish. As the sun warms the land, local farmers and fishermen eagerly prepare for the harvest of these delicious crustaceans.

In recent years, Xuyi has vigorously developed the crayfish industry, with the county's crayfish aquaculture area reaching nearly 670,000 hectares. A total of 210,000 people are engaged in the crayfish industry, and it has become the major industry driving local rural vitalization.

Focusing on the five key aspects of "seedlings, base building, processing, standardizing and branding", the entire crayfish industry chain in Xuyi has an annual total output exceeding 30 billion yuan ($4.15 billion).

Xuyi crayfish have been honored with titles such as China's top 100 agricultural products and China's Geographical Indication Agricultural Products.

A worker processes flavoring paste for cooking crayfish at a factory in Xuyi on March 8. GU BINFU/XINHUA

A farmer throws a crayfish trap into a pond to harvest crayfish at the farm on March 8. QIAN XIANHUA/XINHUA

A farmer works at a modern crayfish farm in Xuyi on March 8. WANG CHUN/XINHUA

Workers sort buckets of crayfish cooking flavoring at a factory in Xuyi on March 8. WANG CHUN/XINHUA

Farmers grow aquatic plants at a modern crayfish farm in Xuyi on March 8. GU JIHONG/XINHUA

People enjoy crayfish dishes at a restaurant in Xuyi on March 8. YANG SUPING/XINHUA