A farmer harvests lotus root in Henghai Yihe Agricultural Park in Cixi, a county-level city in Ningbo. [Photo/cnnb.com.cn]

Lotus root grown in saline-alkaline soils in Cixi, a county-level city in Ningbo, have recently entered the harvest season. 

Compared with common lotus root, these variants are softer and more glutinous after they are cooked. This type of lotus root is more popular among residents living in the southern part of the country.

Spanning more than 3,000 mu (200 hectares), the lotus field called Henghai Yihe Agricultural Park was constructed last April by Zhejiang Henghai Investment Group. 

A farmer surnamed Wang said that he can harvest more than 1,000 kilograms of lotus root every day. This earns him more than 600 yuan ($92.3).

The output of lotus root for the field now stands at 7 metric tons per day and the harvest period will run until April.

Priced at about 6 yuan per kilogram, the produce is mainly sold to large vegetable wholesale markets in the places including Guangdong and Fujian, according to Gu Binbin, general manager of Zhejiang Henghai Investment Group.