Integrated fish and lotus cultivation becomes a targeted poverty alleviation project in Mengjunsi Village, Gaoqing County
Xinhua News Agency, Jinan, June 20 (Correspondent Liu Fengli) - Recently, this reporter learned in Gaoqing County, Shandong Province, that Mengjunsi Village in the county has 119 households and 365 people, mainly growing wheat and corn, with many young people going out to work. Previously, Mengjun Village had zero collective economy and also had external debt, and was a key village for provincial poverty alleviation and development.
Since 2016, with the assistance of the municipal Discipline Inspection Commission, the department assigned to help the village, the village has developed an integrated "fish and lotus" targeted poverty alleviation project. Seventeen impoverished people including Si Fengxian and Yin Xiuying from Mengjunsi Village, Tangfang Town, Gaoqing County, can receive 2,000 yuan in poverty alleviation dividends from the project each year. Through the assistance of the municipal Discipline Inspection Commission department and the village-stationed assistance of First Secretary Sun Jiankai, the village has embarked on a scientific development path of a more beautiful village, increased collective income, and lifted people out of poverty.
Selecting a prosperous industry according to local conditions
After First Secretary Sun Jiankai arrived in the village, he first conducted in-depth and meticulous investigation and research around the village's conditions and the people's circumstances, and found that only by developing industries and strengthening the collective economy, transforming blood transfusion into blood production, could the hat of a provincial-level poverty-stricken village be removed as soon as possible.
The village did not have many usable resources. After preliminary research and consideration, Tangfang Town had a foundation for growing shallow-water lotus root, the villagers had a sense of identification with lotus root cultivation, and planting management was relatively simple. In addition, lotus root can be stored for a long time and can be harvested flexibly according to market conditions, and one investment can bring benefits for many years. Therefore, the leadership team collectively studied the matter and the villagers' representative assembly voted unanimously to agree to develop lotus root cultivation. After the meeting, the leadership team immediately took action, registered and established the "Mengjun Fruit and Vegetable Planting Professional Cooperative", secured 350,000 yuan in poverty alleviation funds and raised 300,000 yuan in self-financed funds, and built 9 lotus root ponds around the village in a circle, effectively utilizing 54 mu of water surface. The barren wasteland was suddenly transformed into lotus root ponds with lush lotus leaves and fragrant lotus flowers. On summer nights, the villagers gathered by the lotus ponds to exercise, relax and entertain themselves, and their happiness index rose greatly. They affectionately called it a "3A-level tourist attraction".
Scientific management increases project returns
Sun Jiankai actively communicated with aquaculture experts and released more than 300,000 loach fry into the lotus ponds, implementing an integrated "fish and lotus" cultivation model. While preying on plankton, the loaches provided organic fertilizer for the lotus roots, which not only produced organic lotus roots but also reduced breeding costs, increasing income by 2,000 yuan per mu and achieving a win-win situation for planting and breeding. To ensure the safe growth of lotus roots and loaches, bird nets, water guns, submersible pumps and other equipment were also purchased one by one. In order to further broaden their horizons and improve professional ability and knowledge, Mengjunsi Village adopted a combination of "inviting in" and "going out", promptly leading the leadership team on visits and inspections elsewhere, inviting municipal and county agricultural and aquaculture experts to guide in the village regularly, and purchasing professional books. Project operation and management gradually became institutionalized.
Taking multiple measures to explore the market and find sales channels
In order to broaden the sales channels for white lotus root, the cooperative promptly opened a WeChat official account and "live-streamed" the growth process of lotus roots and loaches, allowing consumers to have "zero-distance" contact and consume with confidence, achieving the goal of speaking for themselves and endorsing themselves, with good results. The cooperative also designed packaging, opened a WeChat shop, cooperated with a number of express delivery companies, and brought organic white lotus root into thousands of households through e-commerce platforms.
In addition to developing the white lotus root planting project, Sun Jiankai also introduced a hand-weaving project and organized idle women to increase their income through hand-weaving. Mengjun Village Rural Happiness Home was built. While the people's income increased, their happiness index and satisfaction also rose greatly, and Mengjunsi Village's path to poverty alleviation became more solid. (End)