After quitting sugar mandarin farming, farmers in Yingde find a new road to prosperity

Now, in Jiulong Town, Yingde, many farmers turn pale at the mention of the "yellow" disease. The former pillar industry, sugar mandarins, was hit by "Huanglongbing" (citrus greening disease), forcing farmers to seek transformation. Jiulong farmer Chen Jinxing took the step of growing Mis jujubes. Before the Spring Festival, his first harvest of 2,000 jin of Mis jujubes sold out quickly.

(Network illustration)

On the morning of February 13, the reporter came to the Mis jujube orchard in Laokeng Village, Jiulong Town. The fruit trees were less than half a person tall, yet they were covered with green Mis jujubes, and when the wind occasionally blew, the fruits swayed as if about to fall from the branches and leaves.

Chen Jinxing, 50 this year, had grown sugar mandarins in Jiulong Town for 13 years, and the good harvests in the past had earned him some money. However, since Huanglongbing spread in 2013, Chen Jinxing's sugar mandarins lost money every year, with the worst year losing nearly 300,000 yuan. In a fit of anger, he cut down all 70 mu of his own sugar mandarins.

Just when Chen Jinxing was at a loss and had no idea what to do, a former customer from Guangxi recommended that he grow Mis jujubes. When he heard that Mis jujubes could be planted and harvested in the same year, and that the market price was also good, Chen Jinxing's first reaction was "impossible," and he personally went to an orchard in Guangxi to inspect it.

"According to him, Mis jujubes do not have high requirements for the growing environment; as long as there is sufficient water and fertilizer, they can grow luxuriantly." Although he was doubtful about the growing environment and yield of Mis jujubes, Chen Jinxing still bought a batch of saplings and rented 15 mu of land in Jiulong for trial planting. What was surprising was that the first batch of 2,000 jin of Mis jujubes produced before the Spring Festival was snapped up immediately.

"The market price of Mis jujubes is around 8 yuan, and the purchase price is at least 3 yuan/jin, so the market prospects are good." Chen Jinxing said that Mis jujubes have high economic benefits and can be harvested in the same year they are planted. Their sweet and crisp taste also differs from other varieties, making them relatively popular with consumers. He did the math: growing one mu of Mis jujubes costs about 2,000 yuan, and one mu yields about 2,000 jin. Calculated at the current lowest purchase price, one mu of Mis jujubes can make a profit of 4,000 yuan.

As for the villagers' concern about the sales channels for the new variety, Chen Jinxing already had a plan. "Mis jujubes are still relatively rare on the market, and I also know some fruit dealers, so there should basically be no problem with sales." Seeing the good market response to Mis jujubes, Chen Jinxing plans to expand the planting to 100 mu this year and lead the villagers to prosperity together. At present, 12 villagers have followed Chen Jinxing in growing Mis jujubes.