Grapes in Nankang, Jiangxi: A String of Dreams Leading Farmers to Prosperity
When melons and fruits are fragrant, it is once again the season of sweet grapes. Recently, the reporter visited the Minghui New Eco Grape Manor in Guhe Group, Xinjiang Village, Sanjiang Township, Nankang District. In the lush picking orchard, heavy clusters of fresh, tender grapes hang from the branches, and wave after wave of refreshing fragrance fills the air, making one's mouth water. That day, the grape-picking orchard officially opened to visitors. Watching the endless stream of tourists coming to pick grapes, the owner Chen Chunming could hardly hide his joy. In recent days, grape picking has been as hot as the weather, and Chen Chunming has grown even busier, bustling to harvest the fruits of midsummer.
Chen Chunming, 41 years old this year, comes from Shangyuan Village, Tankou Town, the Economic Development Zone. After graduating from junior high school, he went out to work. He drove a tractor, ran transport, and operated a hotel. Later, through a friend's introduction, he started a fruit wholesale business at the North-South Market in the city's central urban area, becoming a fruit "porter," and from then on formed a bond with fruit. During more than 8 years in fruit wholesale, Chen Chunming and his wife worked from dawn to dusk every day, often traveling to various places to select fruit and contact business. Although the business was passable and they could earn some money, it was extremely hard. Because fruit has high requirements for transportation and storage to keep it fresh and is not easy to preserve, every time Chen Chunming carefully selected fresh fruit from other places, by the time it was transported back to Ganzhou and sold to customers, some of it would always rot, and a great deal of fruit would have to be wasted and thrown away. Chen Chunming knew well that it was not easy for residents to eat fresh fruit at a low price, and eating green, eco-friendly fruit was even more difficult.
As a result, Chen Chunming conceived the idea of growing fruit himself, and this idea also gained the support of his family and friends. "After considering many options, I decided to grow grapes so that residents could eat fresh, green grapes." After making the decision, Chen Chunming began inspecting and selecting land in his hometown and surrounding areas. On a friend's recommendation, he came to Sanjiang Township, Nankang District, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the ecological conditions here were good, the soil was loose and fertile, the organic matter content was above 1.5%, the soil layer was deep, the texture of the cultivated layer was good, the groundwater was pollution-free, and transportation was convenient, making it very suitable for growing grapes. Without delay, in 2009, Chen Chunming invested 2 million yuan and built the Minghui New Eco Grape Manor. With the support and assistance of the local government, he transferred more than 400 mu of land.
In order to better master new grape-growing techniques, Chen Chunming visited other places many times to study, attended technical training, bought books on grape cultivation to study by himself, and used the internet to find information and watch related videos. After two years of solid study and practice, Chen Chunming successively introduced grape varieties such as Kyoho, Summer Black, Red Globe, and Organic Rose and began planting them. "Our grapes are original-ecology, green, and pollution-free." Chen Chunming told the reporter that in order to ensure every cluster of grapes is green and pollution-free, the vineyard insists on not spraying pesticides, uses only farmyard manure and organic fertilizer, and follows natural laws with full-season no-greenhouse cultivation management, exposed to sun and rain during the day and moistened by dew at night. Although this affects grape yield, he still holds fast to the belief of growing conscientious grapes and brand fruit that people can trust.
As soon as Chen Chunming's vineyard opened, it was favored by residents, and on the opening day for picking, tourists came in an endless stream to experience the fun of picking. "Grape picking can last from June all the way to the end of September. The early-maturing grapes that were originally planned to be sold out in a week have now had two-thirds picked in just 3 days," Chen Chunming said with a smile. The vineyard is expected to produce 150,000 kg of grapes annually, with an annual output value of more than 3 million yuan. Sales are mainly carried out through customer orders and picking experiences, publicized through WeChat and QQ groups, and by holding grape-picking competitions, using an online-offline linkage to attract tourists to pick grapes on site. At the same time, in accordance with winemaking process requirements, Chen Chunming uses secondary fermentation to make his own wine and further process the grapes. These clusters of grapes have not only enriched Chen Chunming, but also driven nearly 40 poor households locally to work in the vineyard, "stringing together" everyone's dream of increasing income and becoming prosperous. "I am starting to register my own trademark, and the next step is to apply for pollution-free agricultural product certification." Speaking of the future, Chen Chunming is full of confidence: "I want to grow the grapes sweeter, while strengthening branding, developing supporting industries, expanding influence, and radiating and driving more surrounding villagers to increase income and become prosperous."