White beans yield golden profits in Yunlong, SW China's Yunnan

Yunlong county in southwest China's Yunnan Province sees its white kidney bean harvest each October, bringing strong returns for local farmers. The beans are also used to create local dishes that attract tourists from other regions.

In recent years, Yunlong has introduced high-yield bean varieties and promoted eco-friendly planting techniques across 6,000 mu (400 hectares). These efforts have helped expand income sources for farmers in high-altitude areas. In 2024, the "Yunlong White Kidney Bean" was recognized as a national specialty agricultural product.

Currently, 46 cooperatives and two agribusinesses in Yunlong are engaged in white kidney bean cultivation, involving more than 8,200 households. As production scales up, the county has encouraged companies to develop value-added products such as ready-to-eat bean rice and dietary supplements, upgrading the industry from raw material supply to higher-value production. The bean has truly become a "golden crop" for local farmers.

(Intern Ai Zixuan contributed to this story.)