Oil tea bears fruit of prosperity, industry development helps farmers increase income

On January 7, at the Sanligou oil tea base in Panchong Village, Zhouxiang Town, Xiaochang County, the lush green fields were thriving, and Zeng Yaozhou, a poor elderly widower from Panchong Village, was swinging a hoe to weed among the tea trees.

"Thanks to Zeng San from our village for getting me work at the base, my living problems have been solved," Zeng Yaozhou said happily.

Zeng Yaozhou is 57 years old this year, has mild intellectual disability, and has always lived alone in impoverished conditions. Since the village oil tea base was established, Zeng Yaozhou was recommended to work there. During busy times he helps pick tea fruit, and in slack times he helps with field management and guarding the gate. His annual income has reached more than 10,000 yuan, which not only solved his food and clothing problems but also left him a slight surplus.

Zeng San, also known as Zeng Xianchao, is a successful man from Panchong Village, Zhouxiang Town, who made his fortune elsewhere, and is chairman of Tianjin Liangyoulian Decoration Co., Ltd. During the 2012 Spring Festival, Zeng Xianchao returned to his hometown to visit relatives. Seeing the villagers living in poverty, he conceived the idea of leading the villagers to prosperity.

After conducting investigations from multiple sides, Zeng Xianchao discovered that the village had several barren hills, on which there were over a thousand mu of oil tea trees. However, due to a lack of management, the tea trees were overrun by weeds. No one picked the oil tea fruit, which fell to the ground and gradually rotted.

"The oil tea plant is treasure all over. The oil tea shells can be made into activated carbon and edible wood alkali ash. Tea oil can be used both for food and medicine. The tea seed cake can also undergo deep processing and, after refinement, be made into shampoo and cleaning products. Developing and utilizing this oil tea mountain land well is equivalent to building a 'green bank' on the mountain, and the villagers can achieve poverty alleviation and prosperity," said Zeng Xianchao.

In early 2013, he took the initiative to contact town and village officials to explain his idea, and received strong support from the town and village.

Afterward, Zeng Xianchao transferred 1,000 mu of barren hills and carried out construction according to plan. After two years of effort, a 5-meter-wide, 8-kilometer-long cement road into the mountain was completed, a reservoir was also built on the mountain, water and electricity facilities were improved, and an office building rose from the ground. At the same time, Zeng Xianchao also cleared the mountain area. Last year the oil tea began to yield returns, with annual income of nearly 30 million yuan.

To help Panchong Village escape poverty and become prosperous, Zeng Xianchao adopted a business model of "company + base + poor households" and village-level project funds converted into shares with dividends paid on schedule. It has already reached 13 surrounding villages, provided 300 jobs, and increased per capita annual income by more than 8,000 yuan.

With the steady development of the oil tea industry, Zeng Xianchao has made full use of the mountain land and water resources of Sanligou, actively extended the industrial chain, and driven the development of agricultural product processing, sightseeing tourism, leisure vacations, and picking-experience tours, providing farmers with more jobs and income-increasing positions. At present, ecological and cultural landscapes such as "Yanzi Stone," "Shima Dun," and "Guanwang Platform" are being restored, and related supporting facilities are also being continuously improved.