Chinese torreya plantation helps village shed poverty

An aerial view of Chinese torreya trees in Jinxi village, Xikou town, Ningbo's Fenghua district. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The plantation of Chinese torreya trees has helped Jinxi village in Ningbo rise above poverty.

Situated in Xikou town in Ningbo's Fenghua district, the village started to plant Chinese torreya trees under the leadership of its Party Chief Jin Zhongfang,

According to Jin, torreya was the tree of choice because of its high economic value and long life expectancy – it can live up to hundreds of years.

In 2017, the trees entered the harvest season, bearing more than 1,000 kilograms of fruits, which helped boost village's collective income by more than 100,000 yuan ($15,384.6).

The village registered a company and a trademark that same year. An industrial chain comprising seedling cultivation, sales of nuts and oil refining has since been created in the area.

Today, the plantation of Chinese torreya trees has surpassed 2,100 mu ( 140 hectares) in size. This area includes a 1,800-mu plantation base, the largest in Zhejiang province.

More than 300 mu of torreya trees in the village are estimated to yield more than 9,000 kilograms of dried fruit this year, which is expected to generate over 1 million yuan in sales for the first time.