How can traditional fruit and vegetable cultivation break new ground?

With the development of science and technology in the agricultural field, traditional vegetable cultivation methods, due to their long production cycles, low yield efficiency, and poor economic returns, are gradually being replaced by large-scale, mechanized modern agriculture. In addition, in order to seek markets, many agricultural operators are also trying to grow novel agricultural products. However, Xinyang Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., located in Xincheng Town, Xiuzhou District, did the opposite and took a path of “return,” specializing in traditional fruit and vegetable cultivation, and the benefits it achieved were quite considerable.

Walking into this agricultural base, one can see dozens of mu of tomatoes in season for market planted in the base, with rows of neat tomato branches covered with fruit, while several workers are busy picking. “Because these are locally grown tomatoes and have just come on the market, the current wholesale price per jin of tomatoes is between 2 yuan and 2.5 yuan. This price is still quite high, and during this period the price has been relatively stable.” said Wang Jiasheng, a technician at the base. At present, the tomatoes grown in the entire base are divided into early, middle, and late varieties, among others. What has recently come on the market is the early-maturing tomatoes, which can reach the market at more than 1,000 kg per day, with quite considerable benefits.

According to reports, the entire agricultural base uses traditional methods to grow various vegetables suited to the time and season, and the vegetables grow under natural conditions. So how can the problem of the long cultivation cycle and low economic returns of traditional vegetables be solved? It is reported that this agricultural base selects excellent varieties to shorten the vegetable cultivation cycle, and also flexibly uses the base's land to improve economic benefits. For example, during the tomato seedling stage, the base rotates in seasonable fruits and vegetables such as lettuce and cucumber, making full use of the land, and in this way it can also increase quite a bit of income. “Don't assume that what we grow is traditional vegetables; actually, growing them well is not easy.” Wang Jiasheng said that the reason the base grows well every season is mainly that, on the basis of returning to tradition, it has mastered vegetable cultivation techniques. If it switched to growing other novel and exotic fruits and vegetables, it probably would not have such confidence.

In fact, Xinyang Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. had also previously engaged in growing some novel crops, and although it spent a lot of effort, the returns were relatively low. “If you try new things, you don't know whether they will grow well, and there are also certain problems in investment, technology, sales, and other aspects.” said Chen Wei, the person in charge of the base. The consumer group for the fruit trees grown at the base is mainly ordinary people, so traditional fruit and vegetable cultivation is now taken as the focus. For example, the base's main tomatoes alone have five or six varieties, and the market period can last from the end of April all the way to the middle of July, achieving very good benefits.