Since early August, the sorghum fields in Renhuai, Guizhou province, have entered the harvest season. Plump red ears sway in the breeze, ready to become the country's famous baijiu liquor.

Rather than being eaten, most of these ruby-like grains will be used as raw material for baijiu production.

This year's sorghum harvest is expected to reach 90,000 metric tons, bringing in more than 800 million yuan ($114 million) in output value and raising incomes for over 50,000 farming households.

As a core region of China's baijiu industry and home to leading brands, including Kweichow Moutai, Renhuai depends on locally grown sorghum.