Kiwifruit helps poverty alleviation, female village committee director in Wangcang, Sichuan demonstrates cultivation

On June 25, this writer walked into Jiangchang Village, Jinxi Town, Wangcang County, Guangyuan City, Sichuan Province, and saw many villagers busy weeding and pest-proofing the kiwifruit in their own fields with the help of village committee director Jiang Mingfen.

It turns out that in order to set an example of escaping poverty and becoming prosperous for the poor households in the village, in 2011 the village's female director Jiang Mingfen took the lead in planting 2 mu of red-fleshed kiwifruit. After it came into production in 2014, the income was more than 2,300 yuan, and in 2015 the income was 3,000 yuan. The demonstration planting produced good results, and this year she planted another 1 mu.

When the villagers saw that the kiwifruit planted by Jiang Mingfen brought better and better returns, they also followed suit and planted it on their own land one after another. “These 6 mu of kiwifruit of mine were developed with Director Jiang's help.” He Zhengquan, a poor household in the village, told this writer. He Zhengquan became poor because of illness; his family's finances were especially difficult, and he also lacked a project to get rich. After Jiang Mingfen learned of the situation, she encouraged him to grow red-fleshed kiwifruit and taught him the techniques hand by hand, hoping to help him escape poverty as soon as possible.

He Zhengquan said that the 6 mu of kiwifruit he planted in 2011 came into production and showed results in 2014, and by 2015 he had already earned more than 13,000 yuan, and this year he expects to earn another 10,000 yuan. “With kiwifruit income plus grain, free-range chickens and other projects, the annual income is now nearly 50,000 yuan.” Villager He Zhengjiao, who likewise became poor because of illness, said that Jiang Mingfen also encouraged her at the time to plant 5 mu of red-fleshed kiwifruit, and in 2015 she earned more than 5,000 yuan. Adding her son's income from working away from home and the family's income from raising chickens, this year's income is expected to reach 80,000 yuan.

In order to drive more villagers to develop the kiwifruit industry, in July 2015 Jiang Mingfen led the establishment of a kiwifruit professional cooperative, and through the “cooperative + farming households” operating model, further helped villagers broaden their channels for escaping poverty and becoming prosperous. At present, 23 households have joined the cooperative, developing more than 200 mu of red-fleshed kiwifruit, with an expected income of more than 170,000 yuan this year.

Tang Fusheng