Workers pick up mushrooms in a greenhouse in Xinjiang Kunlong Biotechnology Co in Hotan, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on September 6, 2023. Tu Lei/GT

Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is welcoming more industries to help lift the income of local residents, with the mushroom growing playing a starring role. 

"We are building greenhouses in Gobi Desert and we make full use of the local resources," said Li Wei, general manager of Xinjiang Kunlong Biotechnology Co.

The company cultivating shiitakes mushroom, grown using wooden sticks made of the crushed walnut and jujube wood.

"Water in the desert is very precious, and we cannot waste one drop of water, so we adopt advanced micro-spraying technology and artificial water injection technology to make full use of the water," Li said. 

It is more water-saving than growing vegetables in a greenhouse, so this kind of mushroom has a lower water content and taste better, Li said. 

Workers select mushrooms in the Xinjiang Kunlong Biotechnology Co in Hotan, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on September 6, 2023. Tu Lei/GT

Set up in 2019 in Hotan, Xinjiang Kunlong Biotechnology Co currently has 1,500 greenhouses in the region. The output of shiitakes mushroom per greenhouse each year is around 18,000 kilograms. 

According to Li, the mushrooms produced by the company are popular in Xinjiang, and the processed mushroom sauce is sold throughout China using e-commerce platforms. 

Starting in 2023, dried mushrooms have also been exported to the countries along the Belt and Road Initiative, such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. As of September this year,  its export volume reached three million yuan ($408,600).