One Chinese Major Producers of Wicker Baskets

Anhui Province is one of China's major producers of basket works exports a large part of its products. Funan County in Anhui is a famous origin of red osiers. It is located on the northern bank of Mengwa flood way along the Huaihe River in the northwestern part of Anhui. The several towns of Funan County along the Huahe River suffer frequent floods due to their low terrains. By catering to local conditions, the local government leads the farmers in adjusting the agricultural mix and energetically developing the planting and processing of red osiers.

Red osiers, also known as waterborne twigs, grow in low-lying land and fear no flooding. Flood may bring disaster to other organisms on the earth, but it brings golden opportunities of growth and fertile sludge to osiers.

The osiers in Funan are well-known throughout the country for their right length, fine texture, flexibility and bright color. They are top-grade materials for wickerwork.. Funan County has a wickerwork history of 500 years and local people have a long wickerwork tradition, with skillful craftsmen scattered throughout the rural areas. In the past, Funan people relied on wickerworks to make a living. Now, they have become rich by processing and exporting their products. Funan wicker handicrafts of red osiers feature an exquisite workmanship, novel style, nice appearance, high durability and complete varieties, much to the welcome of the consumers in more than 30 countries and regions, including the United States and the European Union. Hence the saying “Anhui is most famous for wickerworks in China and Funan is most fmous for wickerworks in Anhui.”

Besides being used locally for export-led weaving, the red osiers grown in Funan are also supplied to the weaving enterprises in Shandong, Jiangsu and Henan as raw materials. During the harvest season, cut red osiers ready for loading and transportation are piled up in bundles along both sides of the roads in the planting zone. Trucks are parked in the middle of roads, where farmers load them with red osiers in defiance of the cold. Then, the trucks laden with red osiers drive to the neighboring provinces along the crisscross roads.

At present, the planting area of red osiers in Funan has reached 100,000 mu. There are 12 wicker work plants, which secure an annual sales value of more than 5 million yuan. The number of farmers engaged in the wickerwork industry is about 80,000. Wickerwork households continuously develop new varieties and designs, which now amount to over 1000.

Funan has grown into one of China's largest export-oriented processing bases of wickerworks. The ancient wickerwork that emits the smell of the native soil has found its way into the world market and won its won space thanks to the honest and diligent Funan people.

Want to know more wicker information，please visit www.wickerchina.com.