Farmer Ma Wentao's experience of getting rich is worth learning from

For days now, farmer Ma Wentao of Heishan Village has been observing the growth of his red peony (Radix Paeoniae Rubra) every day in his planting field. The green red peony seedlings, arranged in neat rows, form an oil-painting-like scene together with the September mountain forest.

Adjusting the planting structure and leading the way in the "northern medicinal herbs" cultivation secrets to wealth has always been farmer Ma Wentao's dream of increasing income and getting rich. For this dream, Ma Wentao traveled far and wide over the years, never short of ideas for increasing income. Last year, after learning red peony cultivation techniques in Tahe County, Ma Wentao joined forces with 7 farming households in the village, and on land that had long been used to grow Chinese cabbage and potatoes, planted over 200 mu of red peony. After a year of careful field management, the seedling emergence rate and survival rate reached 96%. Looking at the red peony that will be ready for harvest in another 3 years, Ma Wentao excitedly calculated an income-boosting account for the reporter.

He said: "Red peony is a perennial medicinal herb, and the current market price is quite good. The price has been rising almost every year. When I first started planting, it was 5 yuan per jin, and one mu could bring in over 30,000 yuan. Now it's close to 30 yuan. Planting potatoes and Chinese cabbage, at best, brings in 4,000 yuan per mu per year, while planting red peony brings in at least over 80,000 yuan per mu over 4 years, which is 5 times that of planting potatoes and Chinese cabbage."

An income of 80,000 yuan per mu was an astronomical figure that farmers had never dared to imagine before. However, Ma Wentao broke through the farmers' entrenched thinking and made them realize that growing northern medicinal herbs could also make them rich. With this understanding, Ma Wentao became even more firm in his confidence and determination to transform the agricultural planting structure. Ma Wentao told the reporter: "Now a single red peony plant can yield about 30 yuan, and the input isn't high either. Currently, the input per mu is 700 to 800 yuan, and including field management, it comes to about 2,000 yuan per mu. After 4 years, the income will be nearly 90,000 yuan.

Leading the adjustment of the agricultural planting structure is Ma Wentao's dream. Through practice, he has identified the broad market for northern medicinal herb development. In Heishan Village, 70-year-old Tang Gexin has planted red peony on all of the more than 2 mu of vegetable garden in front of his house. When talking with him about the idea of growing northern medicinal herbs, the elderly man felt deeply about it. "Growing peony is easy and profitable. Take my 2 mu of land for example, in 5 years it will bring in over 100,000 yuan. Not only is it more profitable than growing vegetables, but it also saves labor. The time saved can be used to do other things and earn some pocket money."

In Heishan Village, in stretch after stretch of red peony fields, the red peony that has grown over 20 cm tall is lush and green. Ma Wentao happily told the reporter that in 2 years, the over 200 mu of red peony can increase the output value by more than 10 million yuan for the growers, with each grower increasing income by an average of over 1 million yuan.