Poverty-alleviation roses bloom brilliantly in Shiyang Town, Dayao County
In fiery May, in village committees such as Guojia, Yongfeng and Lazhame in Shiyang Town, Dayao County, more than 2,000 mu of golden-edged roses are in full bloom. Flower farmers are picking and transporting flowers in the fragrant rose fields, and laughter can be heard continuously across the fields.
Through land transfer, using the production model of company + base + cooperative, they grow and process food-grade golden-edged rose series products with good market prospects, and absorb farming households and poor households into golden-edged rose cultivation. In addition to receiving land rent, farming households and poor households also work in their own fields and receive wages, which promotes increased income and prosperity for farmers. A group of registered poor households in Shiyang Town, Dayao County now have a stable income.
On May 29, the "flower affairs" at He Liping's home in Zhaojiasi Group of Guojia Village Committee had just come to an end, shifting from flower picking to pruning in preparation for next month's flower picking. "In the first season, a total of 525 kg of flowers was picked, with an income of 4,135 yuan. It is expected that after this year's 7 flower-picking seasons (note: picking once a month), the income can reach 25,000 yuan," said He Liping, who was pruning.
Like He Liping's family, relying on Yunnan Yiwangfu Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., cooperating with the company, receiving flower seedlings free of charge from the company, and under the guidance of the company's technicians, they plant, manage and pick flowers themselves, then hand the harvested roses over to the company for drying and processing. This saves farmers the worry of individually finding market sales channels, and is one of the reasons many farmers in Shiyang Town are "optimistic" about growing golden-edged roses. "My family transferred 1.2 mu of land. In addition to more than 1,000 yuan in land rent income, I also work in the rose garden at my doorstep. I earn 65 yuan a day in wages, plus overtime pay, so my monthly income is more than 2,800 yuan. Last year in July, August and September, when many flowers bloomed, my monthly income was more than 3,600 yuan. I can also take care of my home in the mornings and evenings." Speaking of growing golden-edged roses to increase income and become better off, Tu Zhengmei from Malishu Group was very excited, and the smile on her face was as bright as the roses in the field.
Registered poor households in Shiyang Town, Dayao "go to work" in transferred fields and embark on the road out of poverty. Photo by Zhang Conghua
Farming households with labor and management ability plant under the guidance of the enterprise, planting, picking and selling themselves, and get rich by growing golden-edged roses. For registered poor households and rural empty-nest elderly, most directly go to work for the company and receive a fixed monthly wage of 2,240 yuan. Those doing odd jobs receive 65 yuan for 8 hours a day. Whether fixed workers or temporary workers, if willing to work overtime beyond 8 hours, they receive 3 yuan for every 1 jin of flowers picked. Li Huilan, a registered poor household in Zhaojiasi Village, has worked at the company for more than two years, receiving a fixed monthly wage of 2,240 yuan and more than 300 yuan in overtime pay each month, and her family's life has improved greatly. He Jianfeng, also a registered poor household in the same village, had 2.2 mu of already planted golden-edged roses handed over to his family by the company free of charge for management, with the purchase price the same as that for other farmers. In this year's first flower-picking season, He Jianfeng's household earned 3,900 yuan from selling flowers.
Flower farmers selling fresh flowers. Photo by Zhang Conghua
According to Wang Guangwei, deputy mayor of Shiyang Town, from 2016 to now, 185 registered poor households in Shiyang Town have engaged in golden-edged rose cultivation at the enterprise, while also working in management and flower picking at the company base, embarking on a new path out of poverty and toward prosperity. Company head Che Youliang introduced that in 2016, through land transfer, the company planted 817 mu of golden-edged roses, paid farmers 110,000 yuan in land transfer fees, 3.8 million yuan for flowers handed over by farmers, and 600,000 yuan in wages for farmers working in flower picking at the company, achieving common development for flower farmers and the enterprise.
Fresh flowers drying in the sun. Photo by Zhang Conghua
During the interview, Li Hongliang, Party secretary of Shiyang Town, introduced that the golden-edged roses grown and produced in Shiyang Town adopt pure organic highland cultivation, with fresh flower buds about to bloom selected and low-temperature dried. Their flowers are not only beautiful in color, but also pure in taste. The market has always been optimistic, more and more farmers are growing them, the technology is getting better and better, and the returns are getting higher and higher. The planting area has increased from 500 mu in 2015 and 817 mu in 2016 to 2,200 mu this year. Growing golden-edged roses has become one of the new industries for increasing farmers' income, achieving prosperity, and poverty alleviation in Shiyang Town. With the scaling up of planting and the marketization of brand effects, the golden-edged roses of Shiyang Town will surely bloom more and more brilliantly. Zhang Conghua, Li Changyuan