Top student returns home to serve as a village official and grow kiwifruit, expected income of 2.1 million this year
Today, Zhao Lai, a college-graduate village official, is considered a "star" in Wangjia Town, Nanxi District, Yibin City, and is deeply loved by the villagers. This top student from Sichuan Agricultural University has stayed in the countryside ever since graduation, putting the techniques he learned to use. In 2012, he led local farmers in Daba Village, Wangjia Town, to establish the Lao Nong Jia Kiwifruit Planting Professional Cooperative and began growing kiwifruit, blazing a path to prosperity through the agricultural industry for the folks back home.
After three years of growth, the kiwifruit vines bore fruit this year. Through picking and sales in the local Nanxi market, the product is basically never a worry to sell. It is expected that in 2016, economic income will reach 2.1 million, helping villagers increase their income through joining the cooperative, leasing land, and hiring villagers for work.
Establishing a professional cooperative
Planting area reaches 870 mu
When the reporter met Zhao Lai, he had just returned from the fields, his skin tanned dark by the sun. When talking about the path of growing kiwifruit, a happy smile spread across his face. After graduating from university, he chose to return to his hometown to serve as a college-graduate village official, and organized and established the Lao Nong Jia Kiwifruit Planting Professional Cooperative in Wangjia Town, leading villagers to grow kiwifruit. Not only that, he also developed members to grow kiwifruit through technical guidance. Now, the kiwifruit vines have begun to bear fruit, and the villagers have tasted the joy of harvest.
Zhou Renshu, Party Secretary of Wangjia Town, said that this cooperative has not only developed the agricultural economic industry, but also led local villagers and impoverished households to develop together. "After the cooperative was established, many farming households joined. In Daba Village alone, 17 households joined the cooperative."
After several years of development, at present, the cooperative's cooperation areas are not only in Wangjia Town, Linfeng Township, Daguan Town, Peishi Town, and Xianlin Town in Nanxi itself, but also in Yibin County and even Longmatan District of Luzhou, Bijie of Guizhou, and other places. Members have reached more than 80 households, and the planting area has reached 870 mu. Zhao Lai said: "This year is not yet the peak production period for kiwifruit. It is expected that after kiwifruit reaches peak production next year, the total output in Nanxi alone can reach 400,000 jin."
Kiwifruit sales are booming
Per capita income increase reaches 8,000 yuan
Zhao Lai showed the reporter the packaged products of the registered trademark "Qinyuan" kiwifruit. The gift box packaging not only looks classy, but also has promotion methods such as QR codes. One box of five jin is worth 150 yuan. "The price of 30 yuan per jin seems expensive, but the kiwifruit is of good quality, so market recognition is also high."
Zhao Lai is very optimistic about the market prospects of kiwifruit. "In recent years, the kiwifruit market has been very hot, and market prices have also been relatively good. At many kiwifruit farms in the province, before the kiwifruit ripens, it can basically all be sold out through order cooperation. If merchants wait until the kiwifruit ripening season to place orders, they basically cannot get any goods."
It is understood that because it is not the peak production period, at present the income of the participating villagers is at best more than 20,000 yuan. At the same time, by leasing villagers' land and discussing the management area with willing farming households, they finally receive management wages and corresponding profit sharing. In this way, villagers have stable wage income without risk, and a per capita income increase of about 8,000 yuan can be achieved.
At present, Zhao Lai is already assisting the village director. He is very confident about the prospect of driving villagers to prosperity through the kiwifruit industry. "After kiwifruit reaches peak production, the output will be a leap in volume compared with now. By then, there will still be more roads to travel in terms of sales channels and branding."