How can returning home to start a business carve out a new path to prosperity?
On April 16, bathed in the spring sunshine, the reporter followed the Heishui County Science and Technology Bureau to Luowo Village in Musu Township. Today, a skills training session on Notopterygium planting would be held here. In the high semi-mountain Notopterygium planting fields of Luowo Village, villagers from various villages in Musu Township who had heard the news gathered around technician Su Yongbin, patiently listening to him explain the key planting points. Among them, one person stood out in particular, wearing a black shirt and sporting a small mustache. His name is Zhaxi, a native of Xiaobiewu Village in Musu Township. In his early years he did business away from home, and now, having accumulated some capital, he has made up his mind to return home and start a business.
In March of this year, Zhaxi found Dong Sheng, a major chicken farmer in Luowo Village. After several discussions with the township government, the two decided to transfer 500 mu of land at the standard of 260 yuan per mu under the Grain for Green program, with a term of 15 years, and to plant Red Fuji apples, green and red crisp plums, and Notopterygium separately according to altitude and terrain conditions.
"Thinking about it is easy, but actually doing it is still very hard." Zhaxi told the reporter that starting in March, they began leveling the land. During this process, he hired 4 excavators to clear the crushed stone on the road, and at peak times 50 people a day participated in leveling the entire 500 mu of land. When large-scale planting begins in the future, local villagers will continue to be hired to work in the planting fields, at a labor fee standard of 100 yuan per day, directly or indirectly boosting local residents toward prosperity.
Ya Rigu is a local impoverished household. Long-term lack of technology and funds had made life at home very difficult. But since the beginning of this year, working in Zhaxi's planting fields has brought him quite a few changes. "Being able to work and earn money right at my doorstep, and also learn quite a bit of planting and breeding technology, really could not be better!"
"We use a pay-on-the-spot system. The 100 yuan daily labor fee must be paid into the people's hands the same day, so they also have drive." Zhaxi told the reporter that they never withhold a single cent of labor fees, because the planting industry is long-term, and in the future more villagers will still need to be brought in to participate, so credit must come first.
When asked about the planting techniques for Notopterygium and fruit trees, Dong Sheng, who had remained silent all along, finally spoke up. "I understand a lot more about planting than he does." Dong Sheng pointed at Zhaxi beside him and said: "After all, he has long been contracting construction sites outside, and lacks actual planting experience. In this respect he definitely is not as strong as a real rural person like me."
It is understood that Dong Sheng is a major breeding household in Heishui County. His chicken farm currently still raises more than 4,800 Fengwei chickens, which lay more than 3,400 native eggs every day. Demand on the market exceeds supply, and last year his income from breeding reached more than 200,000, making him a successful example of growing rich through the breeding industry in the county.
"From breeding to planting, this kind of leap is not too difficult for me." Dong Sheng said with a smile: "I am a rural person born and raised here, and I am fairly familiar with basic planting methods. Moreover, technicians from the county Science and Technology Bureau, Agriculture Bureau, and Forestry Bureau often come down to conduct planting training. After some training, I have also memorized the key points for planting these several crops by heart."
According to Dong Sheng, farmyard manure is best for planting Notopterygium. Farmyard manure will not cause the loss of the medicinal components of Notopterygium and can ensure its medicinal value to the greatest extent. Now his chicken farm is an ideal place to provide fertilizer. Every day a large amount of chicken manure is collected and processed as fertilizer. In Dong Sheng's own words, this is an "ecological circular economy."
"We also need to explore under-forest economy." Dong Sheng pointed at the fruit tree saplings not far away and told the reporter: "We will make full use of the under-forest land resources and the advantages of forest shade to engage in under-forest planting and breeding, striving to maximize the benefits of this piece of land."
The reporter learned that whether medicinal herbs or fruit trees, both are leading industries of the county's valley economy. In the critical "13th Five-Year Plan" period for poverty alleviation, the Heishui County Party Committee and County Government have always aimed at increasing the income of farmers and herdsmen, and have increased support for planting and breeding households. Taking the land transferred by Zhaxi and Dong Sheng as an example, all Notopterygium seedlings are provided by the county Science and Technology Bureau, with funds coming from the county's agricultural support funds and the Happy and Beautiful Homeland renovation funds; the green and red crisp plum seedlings and apple seedlings are provided by the county Forestry Bureau. Zhang Yong, head of Musu Township, told the reporter: "The township government will also strongly support them and provide certain conveniences within the scope of policy, in order to dispel the concerns of planting households, so that they can free their hands and feet and become prosperous through their own hard-working hands."
As the reporter's interview was about to end, Zhaxi said to the reporter with slight excitement: "The county brought precious saplings and medicinal seedlings from hundreds of kilometers, even thousands of kilometers away, to my doorstep. I must cherish this dearly. Not only must I ensure the survival rate of the seedlings planted on this land, but I must also integrate the resources of the whole village and lead them to increase income and become prosperous."