Zeng Zhenhua: Raising Sika Deer with Zero Experience Blazes a Trail to Prosperity

As is well known, deer antler velvet is a precious traditional Chinese medicinal material. In fact, aside from antler velvet, the sika deer is a treasure from head to toe: deer fetus, deer heart, deer tail, deer sinew, deer penis, deer antler, deer meat, deer hide and more all have extremely high medicinal and culinary value. Sika deer mostly live in the north, but recently, reporters came to the sika deer breeding base in Lingxia Village, Zhiyang Township, Ji'an County, and saw sika deer, which are rarely seen in the south.

At the breeding farm, as soon as there is any sound, the sika deer raise their heads "alertly" to look at us visitors, their cautious manner making them look especially adorable. "Sika deer are timid by nature; ordinarily I'm here all by myself." The person in charge of the base, Zeng Zhenhua, is the owner of these sika deer. Zeng Zhenhua, 40 years old this year, is a native of Lingxia Village, Zhiyang Township. When asked why he thought of coming home to raise sika deer, Zeng Zhenhua said frankly: "I used to work away from home and couldn't earn much money, so I came back to start a little business of my own."

A Chance Encounter with Sika Deer Leads to Giving It a Try

Zeng Zhenhua led the reporter on a tour while introducing his beloved deer babies: "The sika deer is a treasure from head to toe. Antler velvet has high medicinal value and tonic properties; it is the king of Chinese medicines and a top-grade tonic. Deer kidney has the function of strengthening yang and tonifying deficiency, and is regarded by the medical circles at home and abroad as a specific remedy for strengthening yang, replenishing essence, and improving sexual function." According to him, in recent years sika deer breeding has shown obvious economic benefits, and products such as antler velvet, deer blood, deer penis and deer meat are in short supply.

"Once, by chance, I saw on TV that people were raising sika deer and the income was pretty good, so the idea of raising sika deer sprouted in my mind." Zeng Zhenhua began to recall. Zeng Zhenhua said: "There were very few around my home, and I didn't know whether it would work. At the time I didn't worry that much; you always have to give it a try to know, and you'll never know if you don't try." With just this courage to give it a try, five years ago Zeng Zhenhua boarded a train to the Northeast to investigate, and learned that the sika deer is a treasure from head to toe, with relatively high medicinal value, and is a high-end tonic. At the same time, relatively few people raise sika deer in the south, so competition is relatively small. After considering many aspects, he finally made up his mind to choose to raise sika deer.

Breeding Setbacks Met with Persistence and No Giving Up

Because sika deer are rarely seen in the south, there was not much experience to follow in the south either. Raising them at the beginning was not so easy. In the first year, Zeng Zhenhua brought in ten sika deer about one year old, 2 male deer and 8 female deer. The sika deer soon showed symptoms such as not adapting to the climate and water and soil. So Zeng Zhenhua quickly asked the seller for advice while also feeling his way along on his own, checking books on breeding.

Zeng Zhenhua learned that it was due to the damp heat of the south, so he dewormed the sika deer and gave them some medicine to strengthen the spleen and stomach. Just starting out, he still lacked experience; in the first year three sika deer died and three ran away. But Zeng Zhenhua did not give up because of this. In the second year, he continued to bring in 10 sika deer, constantly trying, reading books, consulting, learning, and accumulating experience. Hard work pays off; by the third year of raising them, he began to find the right methods for breeding sika deer. The sika deer Zeng Zhenhua raised not only survived well but also continued to reproduce. Zeng Zhenhua was overjoyed and brought in another 50 sika deer. The breeding area had already expanded from 10 sq m in the first year to more than two thousand sq m now, and he now has a breeding scale of more than 100 sika deer.

A Good Path to Prosperity and a New Way Forward

Now, Zeng Zhenhua's breeding farm produces about 30 jin of antler velvet annually, and each deer can bring him a profit of about 10,000 yuan. Every year he can earn about 100,000 yuan in income. During the interview, the reporter learned that because sika deer like to live in forest edges and mountainous grassland areas, after careful consideration, Zeng Zhenhua settled the sika deer's "home" in a mountainous area five kilometers away from the village. Zeng Zhenhua explained that the air here is good and it is quiet, making it the most suitable place for sika deer to live.

He also told the reporter that now more than 20 impoverished households have bought shares, which can help increase the income of impoverished households by more than 300 yuan each year. Regarding future development, Zeng Zhenhua appears full of confidence. Next, he plans to continue expanding the breeding scale and also wants to try his hand at deep processing deer blood wine, deer meat and so on. In this way, he can not only help more impoverished people in the surrounding area and increase their wage income, but also lead the people to prosper together.