Prospering by Growing Peaches, Xiong Kegui Walks a Sweet Path to Higher Income

Recently, on the high mountains of Nanxiong Village, Taigong Town, Taijiang County, Qiandongnan Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province, a hundred mu of peach blossoms bloomed in vibrant competition, like rosy clouds fallen among the green waters and mountains. The owner of this peach grove is Xiong Kegui, who lifted himself out of poverty with this hundred mu of peach grove and helped fellow villagers increase their income.

Xiong Kegui is a villager of Niudaping Village, Taigong Town. Due to his family's poverty, he dropped out of school to work as a laborer from a young age. During his days working in an orchard in Shiqian County, Tongren City, in his home province, he learned the techniques for cultivating and managing premium fruit, and witnessed how the orchard owner became wealthy through fruit growing. Every time he returned home for festivals and saw the barren hillsides and impoverished fellow villagers, the stark contrast struck Xiong Kegui deeply. He hoped that one day he could use his cultivation skills to lead his poor relatives in the village to increase their income and prosper together.

While working, he noticed that the market for honey peaches was very good. Although some people in Taijiang grew peach trees, very few grew honey peaches, so he decided to plant honey peaches on a large scale.

In 2011, Xiong Kegui returned to his hometown to start a business. After half a year of investigation, study and preparation, in 2012 he borrowed 30,000 yuan in credit funds from the rural credit cooperative to buy saplings, thus opening a new chapter in his life.

Planting, turning the soil, applying fertilizer, grafting... he did everything himself, and also hired five or six villagers to work alongside him. To keep the orchard running normally, whenever he lacked funds he turned to the rural credit cooperative, obtaining credit support of 20,000 yuan, 40,000 yuan and 60,000 yuan in succession. Under Xiong Kegui's careful management, the honey peaches grew very well. By 2014 he had an income of 90,000 yuan, achieving his goal of shaking off poverty.

In order to help more impoverished households increase their income and to expand his own planting base, in 2015 he applied to the rural credit cooperative for 280,000 yuan in credit funds. Xiong Kegui obtained a total of 1.12 million yuan in credit support from the rural credit cooperative. Today he not only owns a hundred mu honey peach base, but also more than 60 mu of golden autumn pears, providing employment opportunities for more than 20 impoverished households.