Why are these peaches so uniquely sweet? Raising rabbits and growing fruit, using rabbit manure as fertilizer

Since the start of summer, as local fruit has come onto the market in large quantities, fruit prices have fallen accordingly. But the "honey peach" grown by Lin Jianfa, head of the Dinghai District Haixue Angora Rabbit Breeding Professional Cooperative in Ma'ao Subdistrict, sells for twice the market price, and still cannot meet demand. Why exactly is that?

Recently, this reporter visited the professional cooperative. Lin Jianfa and his wife were busy sorting and basketing freshly picked "honey peaches." These "honey peaches" were uniform in size, red blushing through yellow, plump and tempting. Lin Jianfa told the reporter that these peaches had all been reserved by customers, and with the weather so hot now, there was no time to pick them all.

"Peaches on the market sell for 5 yuan per jin, why do you sell yours for 10 yuan per jin?" the reporter asked. Lin Jianfa smiled without answering, and led the reporter toward his Angora rabbit breeding shed. Once there, he wheeled out a cart, picked up a shovel, and loaded onto it the rabbit manure the workers had swept up. Wielding the shovel, he told the reporter, "This is my secret weapon. Don't underestimate this manure. Once it goes into the ground, it turns into treasure."

Lin Jianfa explained that this rabbit manure must be fermented for more than 20 days before use. Rabbit manure is a highly efficient, high-quality organic fertilizer, with nitrogen, phosphorus and other element contents higher than the manure of other livestock, and it is easily absorbed and used by plants. One adult rabbit can produce about 100 kg of fertilizer per year, and the manure of 10 adult rabbits equals the fertilizer output of one pig, while his farm has more than 2,000 Angora rabbits. "In the past, this manure was all sold elsewhere, with regular customers coming to collect it, mainly growers in Shaoxing and Xinchang," Lin Jianfa said. Once, when he visited the home of fruit growers elsewhere, he found that these growers all operated on a large scale and that the fruit they grew tasted especially good, which sparked the idea of using rabbit manure as fertilizer to grow fruit.

In 2014, Lin Jianfa contracted more than 30 mu of land next to the Angora rabbit farm and began growing peaches, loquats, pears and other fruits. After this year's first batch of "honey peaches" ripened, he invited villagers to come and taste them, and the villagers were full of praise for the peaches he grew. The villagers' praise gave Lin Jianfa confidence, and this year's "honey peaches" are also in short supply. He plans to add more varieties and expand the planting area. "In recent years, Ma'ao has been building a base for fruit-picking tours, and there are many fruit-picking orchards around us too. I hope to use fruit grown with rabbit manure as fertilizer to play my own distinctive card," Lin Jianfa said, beaming as he looked forward to a bright future.