Marigold cultivation is highly profitable, planting it is like planting gold
In summer and autumn, walking along the shores of Caohai Lake in Weining Autonomous County, Guizhou, everywhere is a stretch of golden yellow, and the blooming marigolds have entered their peak picking season. Each bowl-sized marigold flower is golden and brilliant, not only becoming a beautiful sight on the plateau that attracts tourists, but also paving a "golden road" for the farmers along the shores of Caohai Lake.
In recent years, Weining has attached great importance to the development of highland characteristic agricultural industries, taking the marigold industry, known as "soft gold," as a characteristic pillar industry for industrial structure adjustment and promoting farmers' income growth, guiding farmers to plant, process, and sell "wrinkle-petaled" marigolds.
Grower Zhao Yanyan said happily: "Freshly picked flowers are bought back at a price of 0.8 yuan/kg. After picking, they are loaded directly onto trucks and weighed, cash on delivery." The flowering period of marigolds lasts as long as 4 months, basically starting to be picked in early July and lasting until about early November, with one picking every week. The first and second pickings have relatively small yields, at 100-200 kg per mu, and from the third picking onward the yield increases sharply, at 700-800 kg. This year, a conservative estimate puts the net profit per mu at more than 3000 yuan.
"At peak times, the number of temporary workers planting and picking fresh flowers at the base can reach several hundred a day. These temporary workers include men and women, old and young, and generally a worker's daily income is about 80 yuan." said Mr. Chen, who is in charge of purchasing at the marigold planting base in Caohai Town, Weining Autonomous County.
It is understood that marigolds are rich in lutein. Lutein is a natural pigment widely found in vegetables, flowers, fruits, and certain algae organisms. It is widely used in the fields of feed additives and food additives, and can also be applied in industries such as cosmetics, medicine, and aquatic products. On the international market, the price of 1 gram of lutein is equivalent to 1 gram of gold. In recent years, lutein has been used in large quantities in the research, development, and production of functional health foods. As a deep-processed product of marigolds, lutein crystals (food and pharmaceutical raw materials) sell for about 15 million yuan per ton.
Zu Wentao