Pomelo cultivation paves the road to prosperity, as a native son returns home to start a business and lead villagers

Jiang Zhichou ran a ceramics business in Guangzhou in his early years, but he had loved agriculture since childhood. In 2008, he resolutely gave up his business in Guangzhou and returned to a mountain village in Qingyuan. At that time, the local government was promoting land consolidation and guiding the development of modern agricultural industries. Jiang Zhichou rented 3000 mu of land to begin developing agricultural planting.

At first, Jiang Zhichou planted Xianglan orchids, but did not succeed. He later went to Fujian to investigate the cultivation of red-fleshed honey pomelo. After successfully introducing honey pomelo from Fujian on a trial basis, he began large-scale cultivation of red-fleshed honey pomelo, planting more than 200 mu in total, and now has 4000 honey pomelo trees. Seeing that red-fleshed honey pomelo sold well on the market, Jiang Zhichou established a professional cooperative in 2011 to lead surrounding villagers in growing pomelo and prospering.

According to statistics, Jiang Zhichou has now led more than 200 households of villagers around Likeng Village to plant red-fleshed honey pomelo, with a planting area reaching 3000 mu, making it a major production area for red-fleshed honey pomelo in Qingxin District. Jiang Zhichou told reporters that the red-fleshed honey pomelo has already set fruit and can be harvested after the Mid-Autumn Festival. “I believe it will bring villagers a good return by then.”