Chongqing Dazu's kudzu root cultivation paves the road to prosperity
While many young people rush to the cities, some people in Dazu have returned to the countryside, using the local unique climate and soil conditions to cultivate a spring of wealth.
Take Gaosun Village in Zhifeng Subdistrict, for example, where there is a busy urban white-collar worker. His name is Qin Weidong, and he was previously a building contractor. However, after nearly five years of "working at sunrise and resting at sunset," he has long since become a "genuine" farmer. Although he dresses smartly, his skin has long been tanned dark by the sun.
"I have spent almost everything I have on this endeavor. It can only succeed, it cannot fail!" Speaking of his transformation from white-collar worker to farmer, Qin Weidong has endless "grievances" to share.
In 2009, a chance opportunity made him realize the value of kudzu root. Afterward, he threw himself into it unstoppably, cooperating with Southwest University to cultivate and develop a kudzu root product suitable for hot pot and soup pot from more than 20 kinds of wild kudzu root, and named it "Fupo Kudzu Root."
"This kudzu root has the characteristics of being soft and melting in the mouth, not falling apart after long cooking, and being rich in nutrients. It has the effects of clearing heat, reducing internal heat, detoxifying, and beautifying the skin," Qin Weidong introduced.
In 2012, Qin Weidong rented 300 mu of land and planted his "dream."
"Kudzu root has medicinal properties, so there are very few pests," Qin Weidong said. For an agricultural product that is already environmentally friendly, he hopes to make environmental protection perfect, so during the planting process, he absolutely will not use any pesticides. Even if there are slight pests and diseases, they are controlled manually.
After four years, Qin Weidong had spent all his savings, and in return he got an endless stream of orders. His fresh kudzu root not only successfully entered domestic high-end supermarkets, but was also exported to developed countries such as Japan, South Korea, and the United States, with an export price reaching 1.6 USD/kg.
In 2016, through in-depth cooperative research with Southwest University, Qin Weidong also learned good news - because of the good soil conditions and environmentally friendly planting methods, the kudzu root they planted had a kudzu flavonoid content of up to 15 grams per ton and a puerarin content of up to 500 grams. This discovery greatly boosted Qin Weidong's confidence in kudzu root cultivation.
"Kudzu flavonoid is called 'soft gold,' with a market price of five to six hundred yuan per gram, and the price of puerarin is also around 400 yuan per gram. Moreover, the refined kudzu powder extracted at minus 60 degrees can also reach a price of 1,600 yuan/kg," Qin Weidong said. Through deep processing, the added value of kudzu root directly increased by more than 30 times. At the same time, they have also applied for 47 patented technologies, 5 of which have been disclosed to the public.
This year, Qin Weidong is preparing to make a big move. In addition to maintaining the planting area in Gaosun Village, he has also newly established 600 mu in Sanqu and Zhong'ao, all operated through the "cooperative + farmer" method, with a purchase price of about 5 yuan per kilogram. In 2015, villager He Peijian from Group 8 of the village planted only 2 fen of land and earned 2,400 yuan; in 2016, villager Li Zongyu planted 2 mu of land and earned close to 30,000 yuan.
"Compared with traditional agricultural planting such as rice and wheat, kudzu root cultivation is really the best choice. Not only is the yield high, but the price is also guaranteed. This year, I will also expand the scale and plant more," said grower Yu Zhengmo.