Gaotang, Shandong: Busy Harvest of Contract Scallions, Growers See Considerable Returns

Everyone knows that scallions are generally grown mainly for their white stalks, but the contract scallion planting model introduced in Qingping Town, Gaotang County focuses on producing green leaves, which are then sent to dehydrated vegetable companies for deep processing and shipped overseas to foreign markets. This kind of scallion cultivation brings considerable returns to growers; it is not only easy to manage and high-yielding, but the price also multiplies.

In Liuzhuang Village, Qingping Town, reporters saw that in the heat of this summer season, villagers were harvesting scallions, with bundles of scallions loaded onto tricycles and about to be taken to Liaocheng. Huh? Aren't traditional scallions usually harvested in winter? On closer observation, the scallions in Liuzhuang Village are different from ordinary scallions: this kind is mainly green leaves, with the green leaf portion growing to 50 cm, while the white stalk portion is very short, only about 10 cm. According to Zhu Guangzhong, the person in charge of this field, this kind of scallion is specially supplied to dehydrated vegetable companies; after harvest, processing companies send them to factories, where the green leaves are dried for use in seasonings such as instant noodles.

Xiao Congzhong, head of the Qingping Town Agricultural Technology Station, said: "The scallions here were planted at the winter solstice last year, nearly 200 mu. The planting method is flat-bottom mulching. This has never been grown locally before. Its biggest advantages are, first, high yield, and second, when harvesting, it is different from our traditional scallion growing. Traditional growing is mainly based on earthing up, but this one is cut flat on the ground, and like growing chives, it can be cut for two rounds."

Last winter, an agricultural technology company in Qingping Town cooperated with a company in Liaocheng and signed a contract scallion planting agreement. The company provides seedlings, technology, pesticides, and so on, while growers are only responsible for planting and management. This kind of scallion has strong cold resistance. When planting, there is no need to earth up; it is only necessary to lay a layer of black plastic film on the field before transplanting the seedlings. The plastic film has a very good heat-preservation effect, ensuring the yield of the scallions, and it can be harvested in multiple rounds per year. From planting to harvest, this kind of scallion in the north is generally from December to June of the following year, exactly the winter fallow period for the land, and after harvesting the scallions it does not affect other crops.

The person in charge of the agricultural technology company in Qingping Town said: "Our scallions are grown in cooperation with a vegetable company in Liaocheng. They provide seedlings, technology, and pesticides, and we only handle management. We planted the scallions in winter, and now it is time to harvest. We plant two rounds a year, and it is very easy to manage. What are scallion leaves used for? They are used for instant noodle seasoning, dehydrated scallions. The yield per mu can reach about 10,000 jin, and the return is about 4,000 yuan per mu."

According to reports, the testing of this kind of scallion is very strict, all completed according to European and American vegetable inspection standards, with very good quality assurance, and it is very popular with consumers in the market. Relying on the purchasing protection provided by "contract agriculture," all of Dejuxian Agriculture's scallions are sold to contract companies. To achieve large-scale and intensive planting, the company has also developed cooperatives, which not only expanded the planting scale but also led surrounding villagers to become prosperous together.