Chinese farmers cultivate social media sales
Back in 2017, Gao Yulou and his wife Wang Jiao left their steady incomes in the city of Kunming -Yun…Back in 2017, Gao Yulou and his wife Wang Jiao left their steady incomes in the city of Kunming -Yunnan province- and headed back to their hometown.
The had decided to be mango farmers. The inspiration came after Gao saw someone selling fruits via videos online. His hometown is Huaping county in Lijiang, Yunnan province. It is China's third-largest mango production area, which is famed for its high-quality late-maturing mangoes.
There, they got to work, planting more than 2,000 mango trees. In 2018, they began to record and share local specialty and gourmet videos though Kuaishou, a photo and video-sharing app popular among rural communities and migrant workers. Their Kuaishou account now has 1.82 million fans and followers.
The account now sources fruit from 63 farmers in the area, and has sold more than 85 tons of mangoes. Each month, they sell more than 30,000 yuan ($4,430) of agricultural products－half of that comes directly from Kuaishou.