College student builds his own chicken farm to realize his entrepreneurial dream
Through microbial additives, chickens can be made less susceptible to disease, thereby reducing the use of antibiotics; this is the most effective measure for addressing food safety at the source.
This was the original intention behind Nijat Wubuli's entrepreneurial venture.
Nijat has been deeply interested in the field of biology since childhood and loves being close to nature; this interest has remained with him to this day. When it came time to fill in his college application preferences for the gaokao, Nijat resolutely chose biology and was admitted to South China University of Technology in Guangzhou to study bioengineering.
After graduating from university in 2012, Nijat went to work at a biotechnology company in Beijing. At work, Nijat saw the broad prospects of biotechnology in agriculture and animal husbandry. After much deliberation, in 2014 he resigned and returned to ** to start his own business. A microbiology research job in Beijing was enough to keep Nijat well-fed and clothed, but he cast aside this comfort and set out on the arduous path of entrepreneurship.
After returning to **, Nijat founded ** Aivella Agricultural Technology Development Co., Ltd., whose main business is the research and promotion of composite microbial technology in the fields of agriculture and environmental protection.
Entrepreneurship sounds beautiful, but putting it into practice is extremely difficult. In the early days of the venture, Nijat's team lacked funds and had no site, and they could not gain the recognition of farmers.
"When I brought a bottle of liquid biological bacteria to a chicken farmer, he looked at me coldly and said, 'Medicine and injections can't even cure it; I don't believe in the stuff in your bottle.'" Nijat still remembers the setbacks of those early days vividly.
Nijat decided to change his approach. The young five-person team led by Nijat used their only 150,000 yuan in funds to rent a plot of land in Anningqu Town, Urumqi, where they would build a chicken farm and conduct microbial zero-emission chicken-raising trials.
But many difficulties were still beyond what they could imagine or anticipate. Because they could not afford the labor costs for building chicken coops, the young people decided to build the chicken farm themselves.
They bought bricks, cement, and steel, bought all kinds of scattered tools, borrowed an electric welder from a hardware store, and began laying walls, building houses, and welding. Some suffered heatstroke, some had their skin peel from sunburn, and some were injured when they accidentally fell from the roof while installing glass. Because funds were severely insufficient, their meals every day consisted of nothing but vegetable soup. Hard work pays off. In August 2014, they finally finished building a 450 sq m chicken farm and began their first round of chicken-raising trials. The zero-emission chicken-raising trial succeeded, and because the meat was delicious, all 4,000 chickens sold out in a flash!
With a little money on hand, Nijat's team prepared to carry out a winter vegetable greenhouse planting trial. Winter arrived in the blink of an eye, and 3 people on the team were truly unwilling to endure such hardship and ultimately chose to give up and leave, forcing the team to disband. Only then did Nijat realize that no matter what project one does, the most important thing is people, and the cohesion of team members is what matters most. Despite the setback, Nijat did not give up. He regrouped and began recruiting team members for a second time. This time, another group of like-minded friends joined: one PhD, two master's degree holders, and three undergraduates majoring in biology. In May 2015, Nijat's enterprise successfully moved into the biomedical incubator in the High-tech Zone (Xinshi District).
"We are independently developing a purely plant-based insect repellent and will apply for a national patent this year," Nijat said. Once this invention succeeds, it can completely replace chemical agents and can be widely used in agriculture and animal husbandry; in the future, more biotechnology will also be developed.
"My dream is to use my own technology and products to make **'s agriculture and animal husbandry a pure ecological land." Nijat Wubuli is full of hope for the future.