Bitter Andrographis Paniculata Cultivates a Sweet Road to Prosperity
"The purchase price of Andrographis paniculata is expected to climb this year. Last year I planted 340 mu of Andrographis paniculata in the eucalyptus forest, with an average yield of 350 kg per mu, a purchase price of 3.2 yuan per kg, sales of nearly 400,000 yuan and profits of nearly 250,000 yuan. Andrographis paniculata is very bitter, so even insects dare not eat it. I am a Party member, and I want to lead the people to plant bitter Andrographis paniculata and walk a sweet road to prosperity." Looking at patches of vigorously growing Andrographis paniculata, Wei Yinghao, an old Party member from Yaolan Village, Luxin Town, Wuxuan County, said with full confidence.
In recent years, in response to the town's many sloping fields and relatively dry autumn and winter conditions, old Party member Wei Yinghao has actively explored a prosperity model of interplanting Andrographis paniculata among tall crops: in May and June, villagers sow Andrographis paniculata seeds in eucalyptus forest land, corn fields and cassava fields for interplanting. Because Andrographis paniculata has strong vitality, tastes bitter and suffers from few pests and diseases, it requires little investment and is easy to manage. Moreover, it does not need to be resown the following year, so lower costs bring higher returns. Interplanting Andrographis paniculata among tall crops can greatly promote increased agricultural production and higher farmers' incomes.
In 2015, Wei Yinghao earned more than 250,000 yuan from interplanting Andrographis paniculata. Having tasted the sweetness of success, he did not forget that he is a Communist Party member. He established an Andrographis paniculata planting professional cooperative in the village and was determined to adopt the model of "company + professional cooperative + base + farmers" to lead the people of surrounding villages and hamlets to prosperity. The town government also realized that interplanting Andrographis paniculata is a "short, quick and effective" path to prosperity and formulated corresponding support policies: for anyone who mobilizes the people to interplant 100 mu of Andrographis paniculata, the town government rewards 1,000 yuan. At the same time, companies sign contracts with growers, promising that when the market purchase price of Andrographis paniculata is low, they will purchase it at a floor price of 2 yuan per kg.
"Andrographis paniculata is easy to plant, has high economic benefits, and with the reassurance of a floor price, many of our villagers are planting Andrographis paniculata. This year I want to plant 30 mu." said a villager from Guilai Village, Luxin Town, who planted 10 mu of Andrographis paniculata last year. In 2016, with the support of the town government, Wei Yinghao and the professional cooperative stepped up publicity efforts and mobilized the people in surrounding villages and hamlets such as Diyou, Xinxue, Guilai, Guhang and Shangtang to plant more than 1,700 mu of Andrographis paniculata.
It is predicted that this year's purchase price of Andrographis paniculata will climb to about 3.6 yuan per kg. Based on an average yield of 350 kg per mu, the gross income per mu will reach more than 1,260 yuan, increasing farmers' incomes by more than 1 million yuan.