Jingzhou, Hunan: "Spiky Treasures" Open the Door to Farmers' Prosperity
Rows of concrete breeding pools, enclosed by half-person-high walls to form individual "small courtyards," held more than 200 porcupines covered in sharp quills, feeding happily... On the afternoon of May 1, at the Porcupine Breeding Cooperative in Guantuan Village, Quyang Town, Jingzhou Miao and Dong Autonomous County, Hunan Province, Lu Kun was preparing "dinner" for his "spiky treasures."
"Raise pigs for the New Year, raise cattle for farming, raise chickens to buy salt" was once a true reflection of Guantuan Village: fragile infrastructure, lagging transportation, blocked information, and backward economic and cultural development. Villagers struggled with difficult roads, difficult trade, and difficult income growth... In this remote village, most villagers made a living growing cash crops such as flue-cured tobacco and rice.
"Porcupines can be farmed too?" In 2015, 22-year-old veteran Lu Kun was discharged and returned to his hometown of Guantuan Village. This young man, who became disabled after injuring his spleen during special operations training in the military, became the first person to "eat the crab."
After returning from the military, he could not do heavy physical labor, and he could not find a way to earn money. Lu Kun stayed at home, so anxious he was pacing in circles. One day in his spare time, Lu Kun saw a television program about porcupine farming techniques, and after watching it he was overjoyed.
"That's it! Let's raise porcupines!" His father, Lu Jiangtao, without a second word, took out all 20,000 yuan of his savings from years of working and gave it to his son. They bought 20 porcupine pups and began the road of breeding.
20 became 50, 50 became 100... Through continuous effort, the scale of the farm gradually expanded, but problems also arose.
Because porcupine farming is a special industry, sales could only proceed after approval. Without a license, even selling at a low price attracted no buyers, and the farm suddenly became a "hot potato."
As a result, with only investment and no income, expenses exceeded earnings, and the farm was on the verge of collapse. The leader of the village poverty alleviation task force discovered this situation while visiting households one by one, and immediately decided to accompany Lu Kun to the county forestry bureau to inquire about applying for a license, helping him write written materials such as a feasibility report on wildlife domestication and breeding, environmental protection, sanitation, and epidemic source and disease prevention and control measures.
"If not for the poverty alleviation team leader's help, my porcupine farm would have collapsed long ago." Looking at the more than 200 porcupines eating in the breeding house, Lu Kun's face showed a relieved smile. He said the current market price for porcupines is 70-90 yuan per kilogram. If, based on a porcupine's growth rate reaching 13 kilograms in eight months and a market price of 70 yuan per kilogram, one market-ready porcupine can generate a profit of 790 yuan.
Just then, Lu Kun's phone rang. After taking the call, he said excitedly that an e-commerce platform in Zhejiang Province was very interested in their porcupines and had called to place an order.
Lu Kun's porcupine breeding path grew wider and wider, and his breeding techniques became more and more mature. The poverty alleviation team leader and village officials came to him to discuss having registered impoverished households join the cooperative, and he agreed on the spot.
"Before, you helped me so much. Now that I have the ability and experience, I also want to lead the villagers out of poverty to prosperity!" Following the "cooperative + impoverished households" model, 37 impoverished households in the village joined the cooperative. The cooperative is responsible for porcupine breeding and provides technical guidance. Impoverished households apply for small-sum poverty alleviation credit loans and buy 10 male and female porcupine pups as production costs, placing them in the cooperative for "foster care." In addition, impoverished households can work at the cooperative, receiving a subsidy of 80 yuan per day, with dividends after one year. All the income from the impoverished households' 10 porcupines goes to the impoverished households.
"Impoverished households can also learn porcupine breeding techniques here, and after one or two years they can raise them independently. If they cannot sell them, I can buy their porcupines back at market price," Lu Kun said.
"Porcupines are not picky eaters. Corn, radishes, vegetable leaves, and twigs are all food for them." In the shed, the porcupine pups were growing well. Xiao Zhengxiong, an impoverished household member working there, had a clear account in his mind: one female porcupine can give birth to 4 porcupine pups a year. After deducting costs, raising one porcupine can bring 500 yuan in income a year, and 10 male and female porcupine pups can bring in tens of thousands of yuan a year.
"In the future, escaping poverty will depend on them!" Xiao Zhengxiong planned to raise a few more porcupines the following year and earn more money.