Young Man from Jiang'an Turns Mockery into Motivation and Gets Rich Raising Masked Palm Civets
Xu Ping, a young man from Liugeng Town, Jiang'an County, Yibin City, saw a masked palm civet at the market for the first time. Naturally fond of animals, he developed a strong interest in this lovely creature and immediately spent nearly 1,000 yuan to buy one and take it home to raise. From then on, he formed an indissoluble bond with masked palm civets. Although he lost more than 100,000 yuan for two consecutive years and faced mockery from those around him and opposition from his family, he persevered. Through diligent study, he eventually became a "civet expert" and brought a "masked palm civet economy" to his hometown.
Swimming Against the Current: Persisting Through Mockery and Ridicule
On December 4, at the "Xincheng Masked Palm Civet Breeding Farm" in Pingding Group, Fangshi Village, Liugeng Town, Jiang'an County, Xu Ping was answering the phone: "Hello, I'm a customer from Guizhou. Do you have 20 to 30 breeding masked palm civets for sale?" "Sorry, the previous ones have already been booked out. You'll have to wait a while."
After buying the masked palm civets in 2007, Xu Ping looked up information and found that masked palm civets are extremely popular with diners. Their meat is delicious and nutritious, and they have long enjoyed the reputation of "the masked palm civet is the best delicacy in the mountains, and the white eel is the best delicacy in the water." They are a rare mountain delicacy and tonic of exceptional quality, with great prospects for breeding. At the same time, special breeding of masked palm civets is a good strategy for protecting wild animals. It is both hygienic and safe, can satisfy modern people's pursuit of high-quality food, and will reduce the hunting of wild masked palm civets, protecting the ecological balance.
In 2009, Xu Ping conducted market research and sought mentorship everywhere, and carried out trial breeding. But everything is hard at the beginning, and good things are fraught with setbacks. In the first two years of breeding, he lost more than 100,000 yuan. With the failure of the venture came cold remarks from those around him and opposition from his family, but the ever-persistent Xu Ping withstood the pressure and persevered, and persuaded his family.
Xu Ping devoted himself to studying biological knowledge and carefully collected and organized over a hundred pages of breeding materials. In 2013, he finally figured out the secrets of breeding masked palm civets, overcoming technical difficulties such as failure to reproduce under domestic conditions, slow reproduction, low reproduction rates, diarrhea in cubs during nursing, disease prevention and control, and scientific construction of breeding farms. He became a widely known "civet expert" and a leader in the industry.
Sweet After Bitterness: Achieving an Annual Output Value of 1 Million Yuan
Today, Xu Ping's farm has reached a scale of 200 breeding masked palm civets, with an annual output of over 1,000 breeding civets. Calculated at 1,000 yuan per breeding civet, this can achieve an annual output value of 1 million yuan. Taking advantage of the fact that masked palm civet manure is suitable for raising loach, Xu Ping expanded his industry space and also carried out aquaculture with success. Xu Ping said: "Only by expanding industry space, increasing industry added value, and building supporting and circular industries can costs be lowest and returns greater."
When Xu Ping achieved success in his business, he did not forget to lead the surrounding people to get rich together. He provided free services to nearby residents such as pen construction techniques, breeding techniques, disease prevention and control, and sales. He adopted a business model in which large households drive small households, with unified management and unified buyback and sale, driving local villagers to increase their income and become wealthy. "On average, a group of guests comes to my farm every day to visit, consult, and learn," Xu Ping said. To all the guests who come to visit and learn, he teaches everything he knows.
"I used to raise pigs and sheep, but the profits were meager and it was hard to support my family. Since learning to raise masked palm civets from Xu Ping, I have not only learned breeding techniques but also increased my income," said breeder Fan Jinqing.