Farmers pick safflowers at a planting base in Yubohai village, Dongguang county, Cangzhou city, north China's Hebei Province. (Photo/Chen Yinghua)

Villagers have been busy harvesting safflowers at a planting base in Yubohai village, Dongguang county, Cangzhou city, north China's Hebei Province.

"It's a slack farming season and we come here to help pick safflowers. I earn 150 yuan ($20.73) for half a day’s work," said Liu Zhili, a local villager.

Yu Yaping, head of the planting base, said the net income she can generate by selling safflower seeds and threads on 1 mu (666.67 square meters) is around 5,000 yuan. After trial planting of the herb proved successful last year, Yu expanded the planting area to more than 100 mu this year.