The name "Lu Zhongzhu" may be unfamiliar to most people. But the mushroom she has cultivated for human use can be found on countless dining tables in east China's Anhui and Jiangsu provinces.

  Lu Zhongzhu is a fungus farmer and deputy to the 11th National People's Congress. She wears the traditional pink headscarf of the Hui minority people.

Since 1985, Lu Zhongzhu has dedicated herself to collecting information on fungus cultivation. And she has also been working hard applying modern technologies to traditional farming activities. Thanks to her efforts, a production base for edible fungus was quickly established in the Lichong Hui Autonomous Township of Anhui. The base provides jobs for some 1,000 impoverished farmers in the vicinity.

On March 5, 2008, the fungus farmer who is in Beijing attending the First Session of the 11th National People's Congress, gave an interview to China.org.cn.

"In agricultural production, farmers are always handicapped by a poor understanding and an inadequate applications regarding modern technologies. I suggest that the government should put more emphasis on equipping farmers with advanced technologies," said Ms Lu, dressed in a pink headscarf typical of the Hui ethnic group.

"I'm just an ordinary farmer. From my point of view, the government has implemented many policies in our farmers' favor in the recent past. Tuition fee waivers in the countryside have particularly helped millions of rural kids go back to school. But a significant problem concerns many of these students who choose to make a fortune in big cities after they graduate. In this regard, I would suggest that the government work out more policies to stimulate these talents to return to their home villages in order to stimulate traditional agriculture practices with state-of-the-art technologies," Lu said.

In Anhui, the Hui ethnic group occupies an overwhelming proportion of the ethnic minorities. "In the past, some ethnic minority groups lived in remote areas and their development was greatly handicapped by the harsh environment," Lu said. "In the recent years, however, the provincial government earmarked 500,000 yuan for each ethnic autonomous township and offered us a great many favorable policies. Now the enterprises set up by ethnic minorities are gaining rapid development momentum."

This winter, a severe snowstorm wreaked havoc on Anhui Province, causing devastating damages to crops in rural areas. "Currently, the government has taken measures to help farmers go through this difficult time. Detailed plans have been implemented to reinvigorate the production of special crops like fungus," Lu said.

"Polices in favor of farmers indeed bring us benefits. Over the next five years, we will work harder and cash in on all precious opportunities to develop agricultural production," Lu said in conclusion.

(China.org.cn by staff reporter Chen Xia, March 10, 2008)