Deep processing of roses paves the road to prosperity
In recent years, Hedi Town in Yangquan City has vigorously developed the rose deep-processing industry and sells rose products. At present, the cooperative has initially formed an integrated industrial pattern covering planting, sorting, processing and sales. Moreover, while extending the industrial chain, it has also driven employment for villagers.
Recently, at the Qifengdi Rose Manor on Zhaishan in Dongcun, Hedi Town, Jiaoqu District, roses bloomed in delicate beauty with an intoxicating fragrance. Li Xiaohong, the manor's person in charge, and the staff were busy fertilizing and weeding, preparing for the first Rose Picking Festival to be held from May 19 to 21.
Establishing a cooperative
Developing the edible rose industry
Li Xiaohong, 45, is from Dongcun, Hedi Town. In her early years she ran a beauty and hairdressing shop and an agricultural products shop, accumulating a certain amount of capital. In 2013, by chance, Li Xiaohong learned that farmers in many places in Shandong had a tradition of planting edible roses, with relatively good returns. Li Xiaohong consulted materials and learned that edible roses are rich in various amino acids and trace elements needed by the human body. They not only have ornamental value, but can also be used to make foods such as rose wine and rose tea, as well as beauty products such as rose hydrosol and rose essential oil. Their wide range of uses gave her the idea of planting edible roses.
The rose industry is good, but is it suitable for planting in Dongcun? To this end, Li Xiaohong and her husband made multiple trips to Shaanxi, Henan, Shandong, Gansu and other places to investigate and learn about the planting conditions and techniques for edible roses. After confirming that Dongcun was suitable for planting edible roses, Li Xiaohong and her husband decided to develop the edible rose industry and established the Yangquan Qifengdi Rose Planting Professional Cooperative. In 2014, 15,000 edible rose seedlings were planted in 20 greenhouses covering 30 mu.
Encountering a market winter
Changing course to deep processing
After sowing hope, Li Xiaohong, as a "novice," encountered a major test in life. Because the edible rose market had been strong in previous years, many people joined the ranks of edible rose planting, and the national planting area grew rapidly, leading to oversupply and continuously falling prices.
She had originally planned to sell only rose flowers, but the repeated price drops forced Li Xiaohong to seek a new way out. "Rose flower prices are falling, but the prices of rose products have not dropped." A remark from her husband reminded Li Xiaohong: "Why not extend the industrial chain and do rose deep-processing projects!"
In 2016, the edible roses she planted bloomed for the first time, but she did not sell the flowers directly. Instead, after deep processing, she sold rose products.
In the courtyard of Li Xiaohong's home, rose flowers were neatly placed on drying racks. "After drying, they can be made into rose tea." Whole flowers can be made into rose tea, whole petals can be made into rose wine and rose paste, and crushed petals can be made into rose jam and rose cake. After procedures such as distillation and condensation, roses can also be made into rose essential oil, Li Xiaohong said as she took out the cooperative's rose products to show the reporter. Today, Li Xiaohong's cooperative has initially formed an integrated industrial pattern covering planting, sorting, processing and sales.
Driving villagers' employment
Prosperity blossoms and gives off fragrance
Li Xiaohong extended the industrial chain and deepened rose products. While becoming prosperous herself, she also drove employment for villagers in the village. Hu Shuhong, 46, lost her husband many years ago and raised two children alone, living a relatively difficult life. After learning of this, Li Xiaohong arranged work for her at the manor, giving her a guarantee of livelihood. Li Haiyan, 47, also lives a difficult life raising two children alone. Li Xiaohong paid her a daily wage of 60 yuan and never defaulted on it.
Li Xiaohong introduced that during the Rose Picking Festival, she planned to hire 70 women from the village, of whom 40 would be responsible for farm work in the fields and 30 for services such as guiding tourists. On May 13, Li Xiaohong gathered some of the women for pre-job training on matters such as rose picking and preservation and making rose tea and cakes, hoping they would be more professional when welcoming tourists.
As the day of the Picking Festival drew nearer, Li Xiaohong became even busier. On May 15, she went to Shandong to buy a dryer, both so that tourists could taste delicious rose tea during the Picking Festival and for the long-term development of the cooperative.