Specialty farming in Shijiazhuang struggles to survive in the cracks
"The profit is too small, it simply doesn't make money!" A few days ago, a company in Shijiazhuang that had been engaged in meat rabbit farming for many years "closed its doors," and the person in charge of the company said helplessly. Similar cases are not uncommon. In recent years, to get rich, some farmers have taken up specialty farming such as quail and raccoon dog. However, some are thriving, while others are not doing well. Some farmers often encounter sales difficulties due to problems such as poor production-marketing coordination, inadequate technical support, and cash flow problems. Experts analyzing the situation believe that only by accurately positioning themselves in the market and developing in a "group" to form scale can they grasp the power of discourse and win the power of discourse in the market.
Current situation
Specialty farming "fire and ice"
"For so many years, we have been raising meat rabbits, but market demand is small, while farming costs keep rising, and the profit margin is getting smaller and smaller. We simply can't keep going!" The company closed, and years of hard work were lost, and the person in charge of the company also sighed. In everyone's impression, specialty farming can make money, and such an outcome is surprising, but it also exposes the difficulties faced by specialty farming, such as poor production-marketing coordination and weak risk resistance. How to grasp the market? This is a difficult problem that needs to be solved.
"At present, there are not many farmers engaged in specialty farming. The main varieties are quail, ostrich, fox, turkey, etc., and the farming areas are mainly mountainous." Liu Yanan, a researcher at the Municipal Animal Husbandry Technology Extension Station, introduced that our city is a major city for animal husbandry, but pigs, chickens, and dairy cows are the three pillar industries. The scale of specialty farming is generally small, and many farmers are still in the exploratory stage, but there are also successful examples. For example, ostrich farming in our city is thriving and has now achieved a monopoly position nationwide. Some specialty farmers are operating poorly, and some have simply changed professions.
Exploring the causes
Lack of market judgment and risk awareness
"Compared with traditional farming, specialty farming requires greater capital investment, higher farming technology requirements, and is more affected by market sales." Liu Yanan said. So, what factors restrict the development of some specialty farming, and how can it become a "treasure bowl" for farmers?
As is well known, the target market group for specialty farming is a minority of people, and it is not closely related to ordinary people's shopping baskets. How to capture the market requires farmers to have the necessary market judgment and risk awareness.
The reporter learned that some farmers do not have accurate market positioning and often fail to consider things thoroughly, thus falling into the misunderstanding of chasing niche markets.
Studying the market and acting after planning is something Hebei Shengnong Ecological Technology Development Co., Ltd. has great experience in, and its experience is worth learning from. At the breeding base of Hebei Shengnong Ecological Technology Development Co., Ltd., flocks of ostriches are leisurely walking in the sandy soil. "The ostrich is treasured all over. Its meat, eggs, and skin can all be comprehensively developed." Wang Baojun, the company's sales director, introduced that the company has been raising ostriches for ten years and is now Asia's largest ostrich breeding center, with the breeding base having 1,500 breeding birds and 10,000 commercial birds. Regarding the choice to raise ostriches, he believes it is mainly because of their high nutritional value and great market potential. "Looking now, the original market positioning was correct. Today, our products are mainly sold to large and medium-sized hotels across the country, and the market is guaranteed."
Way out
"Group" development cooperative model can be used for reference
It is understood that because specialty farming has not yet formed an industrialization, Shijiazhuang currently has no corresponding support policies. Liu Yanan said that farmers organized in the form of companies and cooperatives can leverage advantages in capital, information, technology, etc., extend the product industry chain, reduce market risks, and through the leadership of leading enterprises, make local brands known. Zanhuang County Ruiyuan Bee Industry Co., Ltd. is a very good example. Today, their products sell well throughout the province and have led more than a thousand farming households onto the road to prosperity.
Chen Xiuying is the person in charge of the company and also the leader of the local beekeeping industry in Zanhuang. She told the reporter: "Starting from when I was twelve or thirteen, I kept bees at home, but relying on fighting alone, I simply could not expand the market, and finding sales channels was also very worrying." Through continuous learning, Chen Xiuying improved her farming technology and took the lead in establishing the Zanhuang County Beekeeping Association, attracting more fellow villagers to join the farming team. "Zanhuang has unique geographical advantages, is suitable for the development of the bee industry, and also has a broad market." Chen Xiuying said that now they have established the Zanhuang County Tianyuan Bee Industry Farmers' Professional Cooperative, which currently has more than 120 farming households, and the company has also developed into a comprehensive enterprise integrating production and operation. The members of the beekeeping association have also reached more than a thousand. It is precisely because of "group" development that they have achieved their current scale, made their own brand known, and driven the development of the local bee industry.
Wang Baojun also said that they will establish a professional cooperative and, through its driving role, let more farmers join! He believes that the cooperative model not only reduces farming risks but can also drive the healthy development of the industry.