Contract perilla crosses the ocean to earn foreign exchange through exports

This past winter, Zhong Zhiyan, a villager from Liudaogou Village in Huanren Manchu Autonomous County, Benxi City, did not stay home to idle away the winter. She and several fellow villagers hauled farmyard manure to the perilla fields beside the village to prepare as early as possible for this year's perilla planting. "I never dreamed that the perilla we grow could be sold to Japan, and I hear it even traveled by plane!" Zhong Zhiyan said proudly.

In recent years, in order to lead the villagers to a prosperous life as soon as possible, Liudaogou Village successively developed specialty agriculture such as golden flower hibiscus and contract-grown rice. Then in 2015, the village signed a 5-year perilla planting contract with a Japanese company, and in the spring of 2016 planted perilla introduced from Japan in the fields.

According to reports, perilla leaves, also called su leaves, are an annual herbaceous plant with a fresh fragrance. They are often used to make traditional Chinese medicine and have the functions of relieving exterior syndromes and dispelling cold, and promoting the flow of qi and harmonizing the stomach. They can also be used in dishes for seasoning and are an indispensable accompaniment when Japanese people eat sashimi and other Japanese cuisine.

Because the perilla newly introduced from Japan was a new variety in the Huanren area, every planting technical problem encountered during its growth had to be solved one by one on their own. Although perilla is not strict about natural factors such as soil and sunlight and has strong adaptability, in order to meet the production standards required by the Japanese company, the village organized the farmers working in the perilla fields to carefully study the perilla cultivation materials sent back by the Japanese company in the evening, implemented pollution-free cultivation throughout the entire perilla growing process, and insisted on manual weeding and pest removal to ensure the quality of the perilla. When manually picking perilla leaves in autumn, they also strictly implemented the Japanese company's picking standards, keeping only the round leaves of the perilla, and drying and storing them in drying equipment at about 40 degrees Celsius. "Starting in spring, we often took evening classes to learn how to care for perilla. Now we farmers are becoming more and more educated, and at least we didn't let the country lose face." Zhong Zhiyan could not stop smiling.

By autumn, the village's 40 mu of perilla brought the villagers unexpected gains. The village sold the perilla leaves to Japan at 60,000 yuan per ton, which in turn brought the villagers an economic income of more than 200,000 yuan.

Last spring, Kang Baobo and his wife contracted their family's 1 mu of land to the village. The couple and more than 20 fellow villagers worked in the perilla fields. "At most, each of us could earn 180 yuan a day. Over the year, the two of us earned more than 30,000 yuan," Kang Baobo said.

"Last year the Japanese company was very satisfied with the quality of our village's perilla leaves. This year we will expand the perilla planting area to 100 mu, so that we can help more fellow villagers escape poverty and become prosperous!" said Tian Jinlong, the village director, excitedly.