The 17th China Hongze Lake Hairy Crab Festival opened at the Hongze Lake Aquatic Products Wholesale Market in Hongze District. This year, for the first time in history, the opening ceremony was moved to the door of the crab farmer's stores so that the makete players of the hairy crab industry chain can play the leading role.
The opening ceremony witnessed the awarding of the "Hongze Lake Hairy Crab Best Ecological Breeding Base and Hongze Lake Hairy Crab Rest assured shops.
Festival activities are meant to enhance the whole industry chain of crab raising, crab selling, processing crab and eating crab.
Hongze District has been carrying out artificial breeding of Hongze Lake hairy crabs since the 1990s. After more than 20 years of development, Hongze Lake hairy crabs have now become a pillar of the local agriculture.
In 2022, 85,000 mu of hairy crabs were farmed in Hongze District, with an estimated total output of more than 8,000 tons. 90% of the crabs are of high quality, and 85% of the crabs result from scientific farming techniques.
The 16th consecutive China Hongze Lake Hairy Crab Festival has raised the brand value to 15 billion yuan. It is estimated that the annual sales of crabs this year will exceed 2 billion yuan, which will help farmers to increase their income by more than 1 billion yuan.
