Yicheng grape grower Zhang Yufeng: Small grapes grow into a big industry

In the scorching August sun, walking into the Yufeng Vineyard in Nanliang Village, Yicheng County, a busy scene unfolds before your eyes: a dozen workers lined up in a row, bustling about packing clusters of freshly picked grapes into boxes. Liu Dayi, a buyer from Jinan, Shandong, came early to place his order. "I knew the grapes here were about to hit the market, so I hurried over to order. Today I ordered 70,000 to 80,000 jin, ready to ship to Beijing."

The vineyard is lush and verdant, with an intoxicating fragrance wafting through the air. Row upon row of open-air grapes lay in layered green clouds, the densely packed clusters crystal clear and translucent, making the mouth water with sweetness; picking one to taste is even more sweetly intoxicating and refreshing to the heart. Before we could savor the sweet and delicious grapes, a young man wearing glasses, casual clothes and a pair of black cloth shoes came over warmly greeting our group. He was none other than Zhang Yufeng, the owner of Yufeng Vineyard.

Zhang Yufeng has a plain, unassuming character and is not much of a talker, but the moment grapes are mentioned, he immediately opens up.

Discovering a grape business opportunity by chance

Zhang Yufeng, 37 years old this year, originally worked at the Jiugang Company in Yicheng County. Relying on his hardworking, endurance-driven character, he struggled and hustled at Jiugang for 12 years, and his life gradually improved. But as steel overcapacity became severe nationwide and profits fell, Jiugang was forced to close and undergo merger and restructuring. Like most enterprise employees, Zhang Yufeng became a person awaiting reemployment.

As the country accelerated the pace of adjusting the agricultural structure, Zhang Yufeng mulled over how to make something of the land. He traveled to the Northeast, Shandong and other places to inspect cash crops such as pears, grapes, greenhouse vegetables and cherries. By a chance opportunity, in Raoyang County, Hebei, he saw that the grapes local villagers grew were large, fetched high prices and sold well, which planted the idea of going home to grow grapes.

However, when Zhang Yufeng told his parents and wife about this idea, he met with strong opposition from his family. His parents had farmed for generations, but mainly grew grain crops such as wheat and corn. "What big undertaking can you expect from the land? And it takes a lot of investment." His parents' opposition and his wife's lack of understanding could not stop his determination to grow grapes. After repeated persuasion, his family finally agreed.

Making great efforts to grow high-quality grapes

To grow grapes, the first thing needed is land. Zhang Yufeng was delighted to discover that the land in his hometown, Nanliang Village, is loose and fertile, and conveniently located, making it very suitable for growing grapes. He immediately coordinated and communicated with the town and village "two committees" teams, and took out his savings to transfer 323 mu of land and begin growing grapes.

Zhang Yufeng successively introduced grape varieties such as Summer Black, Crimson Seedless and Red Globe to begin planting. To better master new grape-growing techniques, he visited other places many times to observe and learn, bought books on grape cultivation to study on his own, and used the internet to look up materials and watch related videos. At the same time, he hired experts from the Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the Zhengzhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences for technical guidance.

With technical experts to "take the pulse and diagnose," Zhang Yufeng threw himself into the work with gusto. In the vineyard, his busy figure could be seen every day. From breeding and cultivation to pruning and pest control, Zhang Yufeng was meticulous in every step.

In July of last year, heavy rain fell across Yicheng County for a week straight. Some of the grapes contracted downy mildew, which stumped Zhang Yufeng. Yet his stubborn character meant he never easily admitted defeat. Instead, the difficulty strengthened his resolve to grow good grapes. "Wherever you fall, you have to get back up from there! As long as you put in the effort, you will surely grow good grapes!" Afterward, he went to the Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences and sincerely sought advice from experts. Under their guidance, he prepared special medication for spraying, and in less than half a month, the grapes had fully recovered from the disease.

At the same time, Zhang Yufeng dared to improve existing techniques. He changed the grape trellis from the traditional fence style to a "V"-shaped trellis, making full use of space so that the leaves grew larger and the clusters colored fully. "Our grapes are still original-ecology, green and pollution-free," Zhang Yufeng told me. To ensure that every cluster of grapes is green and pollution-free, he has always insisted on not spraying pesticides, using only farmyard manure and organic fertilizer, and managing the entire process with no greenhouse cultivation in accordance with natural laws.

Effort pays off for those who are determined. Gradually, Zhang Yufeng summed up a set of effective grape cultivation and management methods, continuously raising the yield and output value of the grapes. Today, the grapes he grows have reached a per-mu yield of more than 2000 kg. Calculated at a market price of 8 yuan per kg, the net income per mu is about 15,000 yuan.

Driving surrounding farmers onto the road to prosperity

Getting rich alone does not count as getting rich. Having tasted success, Zhang Yufeng produced a huge driving effect, and many villagers came to him to "learn from his experience." While growing and managing his own vineyard well, he drove and helped other villagers develop grape growing, and often provided free technical guidance on fertilizing, pruning and fruit thinning. Under his leadership, villagers followed suit one after another. Zhang Zimao, a villager from Dongyin Village, planted 20 mu; Li Guoxiang, a villager from Xibao Village, planted 10 mu; and Li Xiao, a villager from Wangzhuang, came specifically to learn and planted 9 mu of grapes.

Zhang Yufeng well understands how hard it is to start a business, and even more so how hard it is to find work. Usually, when he sees some villagers playing mahjong or chatting at home during the slack farming season, he takes the initiative to visit them and help them find side work, so that during the slack season they can help out with odd jobs in the vineyard. Not only does he pay wages by the day, but he also provides food and lodging. At peak times, the vineyard employs more than 100 workers.

Under the grape trellis, villager Wang Aizhen is busy skillfully snipping grapes with scissors and placing them into a basket. "Working here is not tiring at all. I can earn 60 to 70 yuan a day, and in just this one month I've earned 2000 yuan."

Villager Nie Chunhai, like everyone else, helps out with temporary work in the vineyard every day and learns from the technicians. Gradually, he too mastered the technique of growing grapes. Seeing that grape growing brings good income, he planned out his family's 3 mu of land and planted it all with Red Globe grapes. "I used to work away from home. I heard that someone in Nanliang Village made money growing grapes, so I came back to learn how to grow them too. This year there will surely be a good harvest!"

Looking over his vineyard, Zhang Yufeng said his greatest wish now is to continue expanding the grape-picking tourism project, building a grape-picking experience area and a rest area, so that visitors can fully enjoy the pleasure of rural picking tours. Next, he also wants to lead more farming households onto the road to moderate prosperity through grape growing, so that his fellow villagers can live good lives, and truly turn the grape industry into a "sweet" undertaking and a "happy" industry that enriches local farmers.