Returning Home to Raise Porcupines, Annual Profit of 300,000 Yuan: A Female Student's Path to Prosperity

A female student returned home to raise porcupines. According to a report on May 14, 2017, at a porcupine farm in Weiyuan County, Neijiang City, Sichuan Province, pens converted from abandoned factory buildings were divided into small individual rooms, each housing 3 to 6 porcupines. Move a little closer and you can hear a "rustling" sound - "that's the sound of the porcupines' quills rubbing against the walls," said He Yahui, the owner of the farm.

He Yahui, a graduate of China West Normal University, is a standard post-90s young woman. Speaking of her original intention to return to her hometown and start a business, she said that by chance she saw someone raising porcupines on CCTV's agriculture channel. Unlike traditional farming industries, specialty farming would not face major market competition, so the risks would not be too great. At that time, before she had even graduated, she came up with the idea of starting her own business. So before graduating, during her internship, He Yahui went to a porcupine farm in Hunan to learn breeding techniques.

However, the idea of raising porcupines met with opposition from her grandparents at home. "They are of the older generation, and they thought that since the family had finally produced a university student, she should definitely work in the city," He Yahui said. Fortunately, He Yahui's parents were very supportive. Not only did they help persuade the elders, but they also took out more than 100,000 yuan to support her and helped her secure her current breeding site.

He Yahui initially bought back only thirty-some breeding pigs, but in the actual breeding process she faced many problems. Many newborn piglets were either bitten to death or bitten and injured by the mother pigs, and she could not figure out why. Later, through careful observation and learning while exploring, she solved the problem. With the second batch of breeding pigs she bought back, these problems rarely occurred.

Now, for He Yahui, who has gained considerable experience in porcupine farming, raising porcupines is a worry-free matter. She only needs to get up every morning to take a look. They need to be fed only twice a day and the breeding pens cleaned once, taking no more than a few hours in total. Moreover, after learning breeding techniques, the mortality rate of the porcupines she raises is almost zero. He Yahui told reporters that although porcupines are not much to look at, they are a delicacy on the dining table, high in protein and low in fat, rich in calcium, phosphorus, minerals and many other nutrients, and have long been known as "animal ginseng." At present, porcupine farming in Neijiang is still relatively niche, and porcupines are highly favored at some farmhouse restaurants and game meat eateries. In addition, the quills on the porcupines' backs are also very useful. One use is their medicinal value: they can be steeped in liquor, or burned and ground into powder to treat burns; they can also be made into hairpins, fishing gear and so on.

This year, He Yahui plans to continue expanding the scale of her farming, which will bring an increase of more than 200 porcupines. He Yahui introduced that in 2016 she sold more than 200 commercial pigs and also sold more than 200 breeding pigs. On average, last year's annual profit was around 300,000 yuan. At present, she also plans to establish a cooperative in the village, providing villagers with free techniques and breeding stock, buying back finished pigs, and offering everyone a path to prosperity.