A farmer in Wencheng county shows off a freshwater lobster. Raising the species requires high-quality water. [Photo/66wz.com]
Carts loaded with soft drinks are filing out from the newly built Wahaha intelligent beverage production base in Wencheng county, Wenzhou, East China's Zhejiang province.
The water of Feiyun River, which has sustained generations of locals, is flowing along the pipe into Wahaha's intelligent production lines.
After processing, filling, sealing and other processes, the water is bottled and sent to markets across the nation.
According to Huang Wei, general-manager of the Wahaha intelligent plant in Wencheng, the project cost nearly 500 million yuan ($72.6 million) to build and can produce 610 million beverages worth some 1 billion yuan per year.
"We are working on developing more agricultural and sideline products to help local farmers increase their incomes," Huang said.
Thanks to the high-quality water in Wencheng, local residents have also worked out a variety of ways to fatten their pockets, including raising Australian freshwater lobsters in rice fields – an environmentally-friendly way to benefit both species.
As rice provides shade and a good habitat for lobsters, the freshwater creatures can retain their original color and taste. Meanwhile, lobsters can deworm paddy fields, loosen the soil and promote the development of rice roots. The dung and feed left behind by the lobsters also serves as fertilizer for the rice fields.
"The 7 hectares of lobster-rice fields in our village brought in an additional 1.05 million yuan for farmers last year," said Ying Weichao, a local official. "Some farmers earned even more as they were hired for daily management of the field."
