Tomatoes in Changgou Town, Shandong Become a Cash Cow, Turning It into the Largest Growing Base in Southwest Shandong

Tomatoes, also known as "fanqie," are still fondly called "yangshizi" (foreign persimmon) by older Jining residents. This bright red, auspicious-looking vegetable is delicious and nutritious, and deeply loved by ordinary people. Today, with the spread of greenhouse cultivation techniques, they appear on dining tables almost all year round. But did you know? In Zhonghan Village, Changgou Town, Rencheng District, tomatoes have been cultivated for decades. In recent years, with the support of the town Party committee and government, the "cooperative + farmers" model has given full play to economies of scale. Changgou Town has established the largest tomato growing base in southwest Shandong, making this vegetable, cultivated for decades, the "money tree" and "cash cow" for the villagers of Zhonghan Village.

A Single Greenhouse Produces Over 20,000 Jin a Year, and Farmers Have Tasted the Sweetness of Success

On the morning of the 9th, the reporter arrived at the Haofeng Agricultural Cooperative in Zhonghan Village, Changgou Town. Walking through the cooperative's gate, one could see large vegetable greenhouses arranged neatly and impressively. Although the wind outside was chilly, inside the greenhouses it was as warm as early summer. Just pushing open the wooden door of the greenhouse, a wave of heat rushed to greet you. Vigorous tomato plants climbed upward along the trellises, and tempting large red fruits hung from every branch. Han Guangmin, a farmer who contracted the greenhouse, was busy pruning plants with his wife. Holding a big bundle of tomato vines, he said: "Now that the temperature is rising, the tomato seedlings are growing too fast and putting out many new branches, which affects ventilation, so we must remove them in time, otherwise it will affect the growth of the fruit." Having grown tomatoes for 8 years, Brother Han can now be called half an expert.

Brother Han told the reporter that Zhonghan Village has a decades-long history of tomato cultivation, and many villagers make a living from growing tomatoes, though most are individual growers each busy with their own plots. Three years ago, the village set up an agricultural cooperative, and Brother Han decisively joined, contracting two greenhouses in the cooperative's tomato growing base. "My greenhouse is 100 meters long from east to west, with an actual floor area of nearly 3 mu, and about one and a half mu of that can be used for planting. From October of one year to June of the next, for 8 consecutive months, tomatoes can grow in the greenhouse. Roughly calculated, one greenhouse can produce over 20,000 jin of tomatoes a year, and with two greenhouses, the total gross profit is about 100,000 yuan. This winter, due to temperature conditions, tomato growth was affected to some extent, but fortunately vegetable prices were generally high, especially the wholesale price of tomatoes, which stayed above 3 yuan per jin, so this made up for some of the losses." Now, Brother Han and his wife devote their energy to the vegetable greenhouses from morning till night. Apart from eating and sleeping, they spend most of the day working in the greenhouses. "I'm just an ordinary farmer, earning over 100,000 yuan a year through my own labor. Not only do I not worry about food, clothing, housing, and daily expenses, but I can also send my two children to school. I'm already very content," said Brother Han.

"At present, the cooperative located in the village alone covers 120 mu, with 16 greenhouses, and a large intelligent greenhouse used for raising seedlings. At the same time, it has driven agricultural planting on hundreds of mu of land in surrounding areas. Our cooperative has let many villagers taste the sweetness of success." During the interview, Han Xiaowei, manager of the Haofeng Agricultural Cooperative, told the reporter that nowadays more and more people are preparing to abandon the traditional "going it alone" planting model and join the cooperative family.

During the interview, the reporter learned that in order to improve tomato planting and sales, the cooperative has adopted a "four unifications" management approach for farmers: unified seedling raising, unified technology, unified fertilization, and unified sales. Previously, farmers growing in greenhouses bought their own seedlings and applied their own fertilizer. Those who understood technology had higher yields, while those who did not could only mechanically apply experience passed down from their ancestors. Once large-scale pests or diseases struck, they could very likely face the danger of total crop loss. Even if the fruit ultimately had a bumper harvest, how to sell it was also a problem. But now it is better: the cooperative implements end-to-end management, so farmers do not need to worry from seedling raising to sales. "Take seedling raising, for example. We use advanced plug tray substrate technology and select fine varieties; after the plants are transplanted, fertilizer is blended according to scientific ratios, promoting tomato growth while ensuring the fruit is green and pollution-free; every half month, agricultural experts and technicians are invited to inspect the greenhouses and nip pests and diseases in the bud in time. In addition, popular science training for growers is held from time to time, so farmers can master the most advanced planting techniques. Finally, when the tomatoes ripen and go to market, the company finds sales channels in a unified way. Merchants from all over the country drive their purchasing trucks directly to the cooperative. This saves farmers more time and lets them focus their energy on the land," Manager Han told the reporter.

Han Jitu, 60 years old this year, is the biggest beneficiary of the Zhonghan Village cooperative. His wife has been ill for many years, he has 3 children at home, and there is also an elderly person over 80 to support, so life was very poor. Later, when the village committee and cooperative learned of Old Han's situation, they adopted a "plant first, pay later" approach, leasing a vegetable greenhouse to Old Han free of charge at the beginning and also providing tomato seedlings and fertilizer for free. Once Old Han earned money, he would then make up the related costs. Now, Old Han's tomatoes have had a bumper harvest. "After selling the tomatoes and deducting the greenhouse rental and planting costs, I actually had more than 20,000 yuan left. This one year's income can match the past ten years. The change the cooperative has brought me is really tremendous!" said Old Han.