The company recently expanded its export markets to Southeast Asia and the Middle East and has hired young college graduates majoring in foreign languages to help manage its business overseas.

Huang Hongdong, a major vegetable producer in the county, cultivates 6.67 hectares of Chinese arrowhead (Sagittaria sagittifolia), an aquatic tuber known as cigu in Chinese. "Half of our products now go to Malaysia. They really value the taste and quality," Huang said.

The vegetable industry employs 210,000 people in Luliang, from planting and processing to packaging and transport, boosting average household incomes by over 28,000 yuan a year, according to Zhang from the agriculture bureau.

As demand for safe, high-quality vegetables grows, Luliang is playing a greater role in both China's national "vegetable basket" and the global food supply chain, he added.

This year marks the final stage of a five-year transition period aimed at consolidating the gains made in poverty alleviation and ensuring a seamless shift toward rural vitalization.

By cultivating high-quality agricultural specialties and expanding access to broader markets, residents in some of Yunnan's formerly poor regions have not only emerged from poverty but are embracing sustainable opportunities for long-term improvement in their lives.

zhaoyimeng@chinadaily.com.cn