Asparagus cultivation helps over 300 households of villagers in Jiaxian County, Henan, get rich

“Growing asparagus is not bad. Put in some effort yourself, manage the asparagus well, and half the income from selling asparagus goes to you. Fertilizer, seeds, pesticides, and sales are all handled by the cooperative. On top of the 40 mu planted last year, this spring I transferred another 24 mu of land and planted asparagus seedlings.” On April 15, villager Zhou Shengli said happily while weeding the newly intercropped asparagus seedlings in the wheat field.

One asparagus-growing cooperative in Zhayuan Township, Jiaxian County, leased more than 3,000 mu of land for pollution-free agricultural development and planting, of which more than 2,800 mu is planted with asparagus. Cooperative head Zhang Xinjun introduced that asparagus can be harvested continuously for 15 years after one planting. The current yield per mu can reach more than 1,000 kg, at 8 to 12 yuan per kg. It has now entered a vigorous growth period, and the yield will double.

Zhang Xinjun said: “Asparagus cultivation has obvious benefits. At present, more than 150 households in the cooperative have begun planting. We provide seeds, provide technology free of charge, and handle unified purchasing, so they can plant without risk.”

According to Zhang Xinjun, his cooperative needs more than 200 workers every day for picking, cultivating, weeding, and other labor. The workers are all left-behind women from nearby villages. They harvest, basket, and load in the morning, and do cultivating and weeding in the afternoon. It is now the spring bamboo shoot harvest season. The women who come to work earn money at their doorstep without delaying care for the elderly and children. Older people who cannot go out to work are used for field management and care. Because the labor intensity is not high, they are also willing to do it, earning more than 1,000 yuan per month.

“There are two other cooperatives like mine in this area. One has planted more than 500 mu, and the other has planted nearly 1,800 mu. This area has basically formed a certain scale. All are picked and sold the same day. The asparagus is exported far away to Japan, South Korea, and other places.” Zhang Xinjun said, pointing to the asparagus fields of the other two cooperatives.

At present, the asparagus planting area in Zhayuan Township has reached more than 5,000 mu, radiating to 10 administrative villages including Xiasun, Mageda, Huangmen, Chazhuang, Wangzhaozhuang, Ershilipu, Songbao, Xuezhuang in Xuedian Town, and Xiagong, with more than 300 households of villagers engaged in the industry, and an average annual income increase of 70,000 yuan per household.