Fragrant chicken farming helps villagers in Lingao, Hainan get rich
On the morning of December 22, a reporter drove with staff from Bolian Town to Meiao Village to interview Wang Gen, the village chief who is determined to raise chickens and lead the villagers out of poverty. As the car approached the village, whether on the village roads or in the lush groves of trees on both sides, fragrant chickens could be seen everywhere casually foraging for food.
Walking into Wang Gen's chicken farming base, it was also a flower and seedling nursery. Although it was early winter, the saplings and flowers in the nursery looked lush and vibrant, adding a touch of green warmth to the winter.
Wang Gen, village chief of Meiao Village in Bolian Town, led by example in raising fragrant chickens and embarked on the road to prosperity.
Wang Gen taught villagers farming techniques and experience, leading them to expand the fragrant chicken farming industry and becoming a well-known fragrant chicken specialist in the area.
"Cluck cluck cluck," a series of chicken calls reached the ears. Looking up, on the long dirt road of the nursery, a middle-aged man was carrying a bag of corn and scattering it along the way. Sturdy fragrant chickens came running from all directions upon hearing the sound, competing with each other for food. At that moment, the road seemed to be covered with a layer of various colors. That middle-aged man feeding the chickens was none other than Wang Gen, village chief of Meiao Village.
Dark-skinned and honest is the most lasting impression Wang Gen gives people. When chatting about raising chickens, Wang Gen's smiling face became even brighter. He said that through raising fragrant chickens, he not only reaped the joy of entrepreneurship but also enabled some villagers to participate and earn money to escape poverty.
Why raise fragrant chickens? Wang Gen opened up and explained that he used to be a farmer engaged in traditional household farming, just like the other villagers, growing some rice and winter vegetables. In 2013, Wang Gen was elected village chief. At that moment, his mindset was no longer as calm as before; instead, he felt the pressure of responsibility.
"Meiao Village is a poor village. Each villager has only a small plot of land and relies entirely on traditional farming. Income is relatively low, and life is quite difficult and tight." Wang Gen said that since the villagers elected him as village chief, he should find a way to lead them to earn money and escape poverty. So after a period of deep contemplation, Wang Gen finally decided to use his brother's nursery and the village's favorable conditions to raise fragrant chickens.
That year, Wang Gen bought several hundred fragrant chickens and raised them in the nursery. "Not only is there this large nursery, but there are also many trees around the village. Moreover, behind the nursery there is a lychee base of about 100 mu. These are all the best places for free-range fragrant chickens." He said that because there are plenty of fruits and insects under the trees, apart from the regular feeding of corn, the fragrant chickens can forage everywhere. At night, they run back to the chicken coop on their own. So the fragrant chickens raised this way are pure natural, delicious, bright in color and good in texture. Some hotels in the county and many outsiders came to buy them, and they were always sold out. That year, Wang Gen earned more than 10,000 yuan.
With this harvest, Wang Gen was full of confidence in this decision. So he wanted to continue expanding the scale of farming, but funding posed a problem for him. After repeated consideration, Wang Gen finally went in person to seek help from the town government.
In 2014, with the help of the town government, Huifeng Bank gave him a loan of 100,000 yuan. With the funds, plus his flexible mind, willingness to endure hardship, aptitude for study, and readiness to take losses, he went from raising only a few hundred chickens at first to 4,000 fragrant chickens now. Wang Gen gradually accumulated rich experience in raising chickens, and he can now basically figure out the situation of chicken farming. He said that as long as one learns more and observes more, and does a good job in epidemic prevention, the chickens can be raised well. Today, raising fragrant chickens has increased his income by more than tens of thousands of yuan.
"Although I am the village chief, I am also a farmer, but I always have a dream in my heart, and that is to let the whole village earn money and escape poverty, and all live a good life." Wang Gen said full of confidence.
Now, more and more fragrant chickens are being raised, and the market also needs to gradually expand. So Bolian Town provided Wang Gen with some support measures. Bolian Town not only arranged professional livestock technicians to guide him at his chicken farming base, but also used some of the town's information platforms to provide him with sales channel services.
This year, under the demonstration and leadership of village chief Wang Gen, several households in the village have begun raising chickens. Wang Gen taught everyone farming techniques and experience, guiding villagers to raise fragrant chickens. Wang Gen said with a smile: "When I started raising chickens, the villagers were all watching, but I believe it won't be long before more and more of them will raise chickens to earn money, and then my dream will come true."