Pig Farming Startup Earns 150,000 Yuan a Year, Returning Home to Say Goodbye to a Migrant Work Life with a Monthly Salary of 1,000 Yuan
Ma Xiaofei (right) and his younger brother Ma Pengxiao pose for a photo at the pig pen.
For Ma Xiaofei, a villager of Jinliu Village, Kuzhuang Township, Xiangcheng County, Xuchang City, Henan Province, 2016 was a year of harvest. Last year, Ma Xiaofei earned nearly 150,000 yuan from selling pigs, and also built a three-story house in the village. The 41-year-old Ma Xiaofei said with emotion: "I previously worked in Zhongshan, Guangdong, with a monthly income of 1,200 yuan. Now I've returned home to raise pigs, which not only allows me to look after my elderly parents, but also gives me a path to prosperity."
Returning Home to Raise Pigs, Earning Nearly 150,000 Yuan a Year
On the third day of the Chinese New Year, Ma Xiaofei, his brother Ma Pengxiao, and his sister were all celebrating the New Year at their parents' home. Walking into Jinliu Village, a row of blue steel-tile buildings stands out prominently. This is their family's cattle and sheep farm, housing over a dozen beef cattle and several dozen meat sheep. Ma Xiaofei's father told a reporter from Changjiang Times that although the farm is not large in scale, it is all organic farming: the cattle and sheep manure is processed and applied to farmland for vegetable cultivation, and the feed the cattle eat is also organic feed. However, Ma Xiaofei's father admitted that last year's market was actually not good, and they didn't make much money.
Market fluctuations have a relatively large impact on farmers. Compared with 2015, Ma Xiaofei's pig farm did quite well in 2016. Ma Xiaofei told a reporter from Changjiang Times that after several years of farming, he now has 40 sows and more than 300 piglets, which are sold in batches according to different levels of need. Last year's net profit was between 140,000 and 150,000 yuan.
Ma Xiaofei's pig pen is separated from his father's farm by a distance of several dozen meters. At a glance, the 4 single-story houses cover an area of more than 1,000 sq m. Treading along the rural dirt road, led by Ma Xiaofei, a reporter from Changjiang Times walked into the pig shed. Ma Xiaofei explained that the biggest fear in pig farming is disease. Normally, you have to change into work clothes before entering the pig pen. Walking into the pig pen, a wave of heat rushes over you. He explained: "It's winter now, and pigs are afraid of the cold, so the pig pen is sealed up fairly tightly. Although feeding is now all automated and not so laborious, epidemic prevention cannot be taken lightly." Ma Xiaofei said that in pig farming, livestock hygiene in particular must be done well, and breed and feed management must be especially careful.
Farmers Hope the Government Will Guide Ecological Development
A reporter from Changjiang Times visited villages near Kuzhuang Township. Some villagers told the reporter that one or two nearby pig farms had been shut down. Many villagers said that pig manure seriously pollutes the village's water channels, and some of the former ditches have now become garbage dumps.
Ma Xiaofei is also somewhat worried about this. He admitted that environmental protection is certainly a major issue, and as a farmer he will definitely support it. To this end, he plans to plant fruit trees near the pig pen this year to improve the surrounding environment of the pig pen. During the visits, many farmers said they hope the government will provide guidance, arrange for corporate experts to give instruction, and properly treat and make good use of pig manure so that it can also become a very good resource, perhaps playing a good role in improving the soil, and ensuring the cultivation of organic crops. A returning villager from Kuzhuang Township suggested that pig farming should adopt methods such as integrated planting and breeding, ecological agriculture, and a circular economy, turning waste into treasure, so that on the one hand pollution can be controlled, and on the other hand farmers can increase their income.
When leaving, Ma Xiaofei told a reporter from Changjiang Times: "We will definitely carry out pollution discharge treatment in accordance with national standards and requirements, do a good job in farming, and find a balance between ecological protection and becoming prosperous through industry."