China News Service, Xining, November 14th. Title: "Small sour fruit" in the eastern mountainous area of Qinghai develops "sweet industry" to increase people's income
China News Service reporter Pan Yujie
After the beginning of winter, the mountains of Jiawu Township in the shallow mountains of Longwu River in Tongren City, Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai Province are filled with orange-red sea buckthorns. Villager Zhuoma is walking through the forest with everyone to pick fresh fruits. The purchasing point and processing workshop at the foot of the mountain are operating in an orderly manner.
A few days ago, the mountainous areas in eastern and southeastern Qinghai have successively ushered in the intensive seabuckthorn harvest period. Farmers have gained income through picking work, village collective dividends, etc., and holding "ecological bowls" at their doorsteps.
In the past, in Jiawu Township, the seabuckthorn forest only served the ecological function of soil and water conservation. No one used the ripe berries, which naturally fell off and rotted. The villagers guarded tens of thousands of acres of mountain resources but were unable to monetize them.
Today, relying on the original ecological seabuckthorn forest, the township can process 1,000 tons of fresh seabuckthorn fruits every year, stably providing jobs through the "cooperative + village collective factory" model, and industrial benefits continue to benefit the people. In 2025, the sales of seabuckthorn products in the township will exceed 1 million yuan (RMB, the same below), with a dividend of 420,000 yuan.
"We process sea buckthorn drinks for takeout. Sea buckthorn, which no one valued in the past, can now bring income and increase the collective income of the village. It has become a 'little golden fruit' that increases income." Zhuoma said.
In the seabuckthorn cold chain workshop in Huangyuan County, Xining City, Qinghai Province, the person in charge, Ma Xiande, is leading the e-commerce live broadcast team from Xining to inspect the dried seabuckthorn fruits.
The total seabuckthorn resources in Huangyuan County are 68,900 acres. After the cold chain workshop is completed in 2024, fresh seabuckthorn fruits from all townships in the county will be purchased annually. "The fresh fruits are supplied to county and city enterprises after preliminary processing such as freezing and branch and fruit separation. The dried fruits are directly supplied to places such as Anhui, Hebei, and Chengdu. Now there are online live broadcast channels, the market is wider, and more villagers from surrounding villages participate in picking." Ma Xiande said.
It is reported that Huangyuan County continues to build a standardized seabuckthorn picking base. The seabuckthorn project implemented since this year has employed a total of 56,000 people and paid 5.43 million yuan in wages, effectively driving an increase in farmers' income.
Hundreds of kilometers away in Baoku Township, Datong Hui and Tu Autonomous County, the workshop of Qinghai Bayan Selection Food Co., Ltd. is filled with the aroma of sea buckthorn fruit, and workers are packing freshly squeezed drinks into boxes.
He Wenzeng, the company's operations director, said: "Our fresh fruits come from Baoku Township and County Seedling Station, which is located in the Beichuan River Source District. High-quality water resources and seedling resources ensure product quality, which is also our unique advantage. With the fresh-keeping cold storage, we can produce all year round, and we have also established close cooperation with more than 100 local farmers."
At present, the national-level seabuckthorn improved variety base of Datong County Seedling Station has cultivated three provincial-level improved varieties: "Chinese Seabuckthorn", "Zayouhong" and "Zayouhuang", and an average of more than 400,000 seabuckthorn seedlings are bred annually. The county relies on processing enterprises to purchase more than 10 tons of sea buckthorn fruits annually and develop primary products such as puree and beverages. The annual output value is more than 300,000 yuan, and industrial development has begun to take shape.
It is reported that as of 2025, Qinghai Province has a seabuckthorn planting area of 414,300 acres and an output of 2,042 tons. Seabuckthorn standardized picking bases and demonstration counties have been deployed in 8 counties (districts) to promote the full chain connection from resource protection to product processing, and continuously deepen the effectiveness of the mechanism of linking farmers with farmers.
