Ecological free-range chicken farming becomes a new path to prosperity for farmers in Wannian, Jiangxi
“It was the Yundan Ecological Farming Farmers' Professional Cooperative that turned the free-range chickens in the mountains into ‘golden phoenixes.’ The free-range chickens don't get sick and are very active, so not only is the quality of the chickens good, but their egg production is high too! Ecological farming has set us on the road to prosperity.” Xu Hongping, a farmer from Luohu Village, Shizhen Town, Wannian County, watched his free-range “precious treasures” pecking and chasing each other in the ravines and gullies, a satisfied smile on his face.
Recently, a reporter walked into Xu Hongping's free-range chicken farm and saw free-range chickens all over the mountain, sturdy in build and brilliant in plumage, leisurely foraging, adding a splash of beautiful scenery to the quiet mountain wilderness. It is understood that Ding Yundan, a farmer from Luohu Village, Shizhen Town, Wannian County, founded the Wannian County Yundan Ecological Farming Farmers' Professional Cooperative in December 2010. Over more than 5 years, through the joint efforts of all members, it has grown from raising several thousand free-range chickens to a large-scale ecological farming cooperative raising 300,000 chickens a year, has developed dozens of farmers' cooperatives inside and outside the county, and has helped more than 300 local households get rich by raising free-range chickens. It is reported that the cooperative registered the “Yundan” brand trademark in 2011 and has already established farm-to-supermarket direct supply. In March 2016, “Yundan” brand free-range chickens and free-range eggs won the Ministry of Agriculture's “Pollution-Free Green Mark,” and the products sell well in supermarkets nationwide.
Ding Yundan told the reporter that in order to improve the brand influence and sales of “Yundan” brand free-range chickens and free-range eggs, he began engaging in e-commerce in July 2015 and opened the “Tian Gao Yun Dan Local Specialties” Taobao shop. At present, the products sell well across the country and in supermarkets. In 2015, the cooperative produced 4 million free-range eggs and green-shelled free-range eggs a year, with market prices ranging from 1.5 yuan to 2.5 yuan each; it produced 40,000 adult free-range chickens a year, with a selling price of 28 yuan per jin.