Bainang Vegetable Production Base ( zh, 白朗蔬菜生产基地), located in

Bainang County Bainang County (; zh, s=白朗县) is a county of Xigazê in the Tibet Autonomous Region The Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), often shortened to Tibet in English or Xizang in Pinyin, Hanyu Pinyin, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonom ...

, Shigatse City,

Tibet Autonomous Region The Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), often shortened to Tibet in English or Xizang in Pinyin, Hanyu Pinyin, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China. It was established in 1965 to replace the ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, stands as the largest vegetable production base in the region and serves as a vital grain and vegetable supplier for Tibet.

History

Bainang County, situated in the Nangchu River ( zh, 年楚河) basin, is traditionally known as the "Granary of Tibet" for its

highland barley Highland barley, Tibetan barley or Himalayan barley ( Tibetan: ནས་; Wylie: nas; Chinese: ; qīngkē, or 藏青稞; zàng qīngkē) is the principal cereal cultivated on the Tibetan Plateau, used mainly to make tsampa and liquor ( chang). ...

and

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

production. Historically, local farmers were unfamiliar with vegetable cultivation and primarily subsisted on grains, with

vegetable Vegetables are edible parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. This original meaning is still commonly used, and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including edible flower, flo ...

s rarely part of their diet. In 1995, the first group of cadres from

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

, who were sent to support Bainang, decided to introduce modern vegetable cultivation techniques to the county. In 1998, the Bainang County government, in collaboration with cadres from Shandong, initiated a project to mobilize villagers to grow vegetables in greenhouses. They brought in 30 experienced farmers from Shandong to provide production and technical guidance. Each technician was tasked with training four local farmers, offering free greenhouses, seedlings, and ongoing technical support. This initiative boosted the enthusiasm of Tibetan farmers to learn and adopt vegetable cultivation. By 2018, Bainang County had established 4,200 acres of new, high-efficiency greenhouse facilities. As a result, by 2020, the county's agricultural and animal husbandry output value exceeded 1.7 billion yuan, increasing the income of the local population by 425 million yuan. In 2023, Bainang County upgraded 1,640 greenhouses, constructed over 100 acres of new fruit and vegetable greenhouses, and cultivated 19,300 acres of vegetables. This resulted in a production output of 138 million pounds, generating an estimated output value of around RMB 310 million. By 2024, the local planting area is expected to expand to 14,400 acres. The region has cultivated over 140 varieties of fruits and vegetables.

References

{{Xigaze Prefecture Economy of Tibet Shigatse 1990s in Tibet 1998 establishments in China 20th-century establishments in Tibet