Shaoyuan Town, Henan: The "pig man" makes a living from ecological farming
When people mention Guo Tao, a villager from Huangbeijiao Village in Shaoyuan Town, many know the story of his forest-floor farming, and they affectionately call him the "pig man." Recently, a reporter visited Guo Tao's breeding base and saw him negotiating business with customers online via his mobile phone. On the hillside behind him, chubby little pigs were either leisurely foraging or chasing one another in play.
Guo Tao, now 36 years old, had always wanted to do something practical after graduating from high school. By chance, he came across information about raising pigs under the forest, mulled it over repeatedly, and decided to give it a try. He surveyed the market, chose a site, bought piglets, and set out on the road of pig farming.
As his farming skills matured, Guo Tao's farm kept expanding, growing from 20 pigs at the start to more than 400. But good wine also fears a deep alley, and how to sell the pigs he raised well became a difficult problem. Watching the piglets grow day by day, Guo Tao was so anxious he paced in circles.
"Others can open online shops to sell goods, so why can't I sell pigs online?" Once he had this idea, Guo Tao sold pigs through traditional channels while also taking photos of the pigs, uploading them online, and starting to hawk them on the internet.
The "pig photos" of excellent breed and superb appearance drew the attention of quite a few buyers, and soon someone was asking about prices online. A boss from Shanxi came to inspect and bought 3 pigs in one go. Not long after returning, he came back and bought 10 more pigs. Now this boss is already one of Guo Tao's regular customers.
"Pigs raised free-range under the forest need about 10 months before they can be sold. The purchase price for pigs is 12 yuan per jin, and after deducting costs, making more than 1000 yuan profit per pig is no problem." Guo Tao explained that his pigs have already been sold online to Shanxi and other places, bringing in an annual income of 100,000 yuan.
Speaking of the benefits of online sales, Guo Tao said the investment is small, the results come quickly, and it can all be done without leaving home. As long as relevant information about the pigs is posted, people will pay attention. Not only that, it also brings farmers and consumers closer and provides a platform for both sides to learn techniques and exchange experience.
With smooth sales channels, Guo Tao's confidence in farming has grown even stronger. Talking about future development, Guo Tao said he wants to raise breeding sows, expand the farming scale, continue relying on online platforms to interact with consumers, and, at the lowest cost, break through geographical limits so that pigs raised free-range under the forest can "walk" onto the dinner tables of thousands of households. At the same time, he also wants to build his own brand and attract more big buyers to come and inspect.