An elderly farmer's tearful despair as hundreds of villagers looted her more than £22,000 worth of rare Chinese herbs.

Video filmed in the city of Zhoukou in Henan Province on November 1, shows hundreds of villagers, armed with bags and baskets, descending upon the fields. While an elderly woman who is planter Qiu's mother sat on the ground, weeping inconsolably, and crying out in anguish for the loss of the herbs.

Qiu was set to harvest the high-demand Bai Zhu, a traditional Chinese medicine. With market prices soaring, the crop was estimated to value a staggering £160,000 upon full harvest.

To protect his golden crop, Qiu enlisted over twenty relatives and workers, standing as guardians over the green gold that spread across his fields. However, at around 4:00 pm, just as the first round of harvesting concluded and the second was about to commence, a human tide overran the barriers.

Despite the efforts of Qiu's makeshift security force, the marauding villagers could not be repelled, and the plantation was pillaged. The financial damage is estimated to be upwards of £22,500, a severe blow to the cooperative.

The authorities were alerted, and only with the arrival of the police did the plundering cease. The officers managed to restore a semblance of order and began persuading villagers to return the stolen goods.

According to reports, Qiu, experienced a malfunction with his machinery while two-thirds through the second harvest of Bai Zhu. Neighbouring villagers, mistaking that the second harvest had been completed, entered the fields to pick the remaining herbs. It has been a custom for years that the farmer allows villagers to collect leftover herbs after the second harvest.

The video was provided by local media with permission.

11月1日，河南周口淮阳区冯塘乡，一家中药材种植合作社的四十亩药材在采收过程中，遭到数百名村民哄抢，一位老人坐地痛哭。现场视频显示，在一片土地上，数百人拿着袋子或篮子一拥而入，在地里捡拾着什么东西，一名老人坐在地上失声痛哭，大喊“我的娘啊！把药材给俺抢了！”
种植社负责人邱先生表示，地里种的药材名为白术，由于今年白术价格不错，这四十亩地完全采收的话，估计价值一百四十余万。当日，为了防止村民哄抢，他专门请了亲戚和其他人员共二十多人到场帮忙。当日下午4时许，他的白术地刚采收完第一遍，正准备采收第二遍时，数百位村民冲破阻拦，到地里强行捡拾白术。他请的20多人在现场试图阻止村民哄抢，但没有效果，这次哄抢给他造成的损失有20多万元。最后只能报警，民警到场后才阻止了哄抢行为，并劝导村民归还药材。
当日晚间，周口市淮阳区农业农村局就此事发布情况通报：
10月31日下午，周口市淮阳区冯塘乡一药材种植户邱某某对种植的白术在第二遍收割进行到三分之二时，机械发生故障。附近村民误认为种植户第二遍已收割完毕，遂进地捡拾药材（药材二次收割完成后，种植户允许村民到田地内捡拾遗留药材已是多年来的习惯），种植户劝阻无果后报警，当地派出所民警迅速到场，劝导群众离开。下一步，将进一步加强三农工作的服务和管理，切实保障农民和种植户的合法权益。