Agricultural machinery cooperative launches menu-style contract farming service

At the end of September, the critical period for late rice grain filling, Leng Weiguo, a major grain grower in Wangjiadi Village, Longguangqiao Town, Heshan District, Yiyang City, Hunan Province, rarely went to the fields to busy himself, spending most of his time at the Huimin Agricultural Machinery Cooperative maintaining farm machinery. His rice will be harvested in mid-October.

Leng Weiguo agreed with the local Huimin Agricultural Machinery Cooperative that the cooperative would charge 1,300 yuan per mu for both the early rice and late rice seasons, handling the full "nine services" process, and guaranteeing a minimum yield of 750 jin for early rice and 800 jin for late rice at harvest, with the surplus split 30-70 with the farmer. The so-called "nine services" package covers the entire process from seedling raising and transplanting to pest and disease control, harvesting and drying.

Leng Weiguo contracted more than 1,000 mu of paddy fields. Previously he always managed them himself; this year he entrusted the entire process to the cooperative's "nine services." "After the cooperative charges 1,300 yuan, I don't have to worry about anything. Someone comes to the door and plants the fields well, which is more cost-effective than doing it myself. The biggest worry for major growers is the space for drying and storing rice. Last year, drying and storing rice cost 179 yuan per ton. Now, this expense is all bundled into the 1,300 yuan." Leng Weiguo calculated that managing it himself cost 1,440 yuan per mu, while after contracting it out, the cost dropped by 140 yuan; at the same time, the per-mu yield increased by 60 jin over last year, boosting returns by 80 yuan. For 1,000 mu of rice, this adds up to an extra 220,000 yuan in income.

Wangjiadi Village is located in the suburban fringe, with convenient transportation. Many villagers go to the city for work, and farmers are not very willing to grow crops. The Huimin Agricultural Machinery Cooperative's "nine services" for major grain growers not only ensured the double-cropping rice planting area but also raised per-unit yields. This year's early rice seedling raising suffered from continuous low temperatures and rain, with some farmers experiencing severe seedling rot, while the cooperative's greenhouse seedling raising, thanks to complete equipment, produced good-quality seedlings and ensured transplanting needs.

"We have signed socialized service area contracts with farmers for more than 10,000 mu. Farmers can choose either the all-inclusive nine-service package or a menu-style selection of several services." In the view of cooperative head Huang Weimin, the "nine services" have brought "two lows and three highs": socialized services keep the idle rate of farm machinery low, and unified procurement lowers agricultural input costs; improved seed seedling raising, green pest control and standardized production raise rice quality. If existing farm machinery only served self-owned or transferred land, the equipment utilization rate would be less than 30%, and the depreciation cost of farm machinery facilities per mu would reach 120 yuan, whereas after launching the "nine services," the machinery depreciation cost per mu is only 70 yuan.

For large-scale operators or large-scale service providers, even a small technique that increases income by only a little per mu still adds up to a considerable return because of the scale and large area. Therefore, they are very willing to adopt new techniques and new varieties. Thanks to unified varieties and standardized production, the impurity content is relatively low and purity reaches the standard for "seed-use fields," with the price per jin 0.05 yuan higher than the market price for similar rice. This year the cooperative adopted plant protection technology that reduces pesticide use while increasing efficiency. Originally 3 to 4 rounds of pesticide spraying were needed; now only 2 rounds are required.

"A few people farm most of the fields, and a few people help most people farm." Zhou Zhikui, director of the Grain and Oil Division of the Hunan Provincial Agricultural Commission, summarized Hunan's innovation in agricultural operation models this way. Without transferring land, adopting full-process or half-process nanny-style services effectively solves the problem of "who will farm the land." According to statistics, Hunan Province this year has more than 140,000 new-type operating entities such as major grain growers and family farms, an increase of 10,000.