The secret to prosperity through goat farming in Jialing, Nanchong, Sichuan, the "Home of Goats"
December 2 was market day in Yanxi Township, Jialing District. At the livestock and poultry trading market in the township, goats were selling exceptionally well, and among the buyers were quite a few city dwellers who had driven there specially to make purchases.
During the interview, the author learned that the township established the Sancaigou Village Goat Breeding Cooperative in 2012, adopting a model of financial support, technical guidance and shared benefits, which drove more than 1,000 households across the township onto the path to prosperity. Yanxi Township thus became a widely known "Home of Goats."
"Borrowing goats to produce kids + project rewards" solves the shortage of funds
In 2014, Pu Menglin, a villager from Liufangbei Village in the township, borrowed breeding goats from the cooperative to raise. His family's does gave birth to kids one after another, suddenly adding 18 young goats. "I am a disabled person. For farming, I have trouble getting around; for working, no factory dares to hire me. Later, I set my sights on goat farming," Pu Menglin said. Because his family was poor, he could not come up with enough money to buy breeding goats right away.
In April last year, Pu Menglin borrowed 10 breeding goats from the cooperative. After more than a year of careful tending, his does successfully gave birth to 18 kids. That day, looking at the flock nibbling grass in front of his house, Pu Menglin could not contain his joy: "If I sell all 18 goats, a conservative estimate is that I can earn 20,000 yuan."
According to Lan Yong, Party secretary of the township, the cooperative promotes the "borrow goats to produce kids" model among the people. Villagers who want to raise goats but lack start-up capital borrow breeding goats from the cooperative free of charge, and after the first batch of kids is born and weaned, they return the borrowed breeding goats to the cooperative. The farmers get the kids, and the breeding goats lent out by the cooperative are also raised to maturity, achieving a win-win outcome.
"I developed goat farming through 'borrowing goats to produce kids.' Because I lacked the funds to build goat pens, the scale of my farming has always been small," Xie Zhengquan, a villager from Ranfangwan Village in the township, told reporters. In 2012, he converted half of his family's living space into a goat pen to raise goats, marketing more than 30 goats a year, with annual income of nearly 30,000 yuan, barely enough to cover household expenses and the school fees of his two sons.
In 2014, the township helped the cooperative secure 1.2 million yuan in funding for a specialized cooperative development innovation pilot construction project. The cooperative accordingly formulated a series of measures to encourage villagers to raise goats.
"Farming households that build pens of more than 50 sq m, buy more than 10 breeding goats and market more than 50 goats a year can receive financial subsidies. Among these, pen construction is subsidized at 230 yuan per sq m, and the purchase of breeding goats is subsidized at 600 yuan per goat," Xie Zhengquan said. Seizing this opportunity, he built more than 100 sq m of new pens and bought 50 breeding goats. "After more than a year of effort, my family can market 500 goats this year, and I no longer need to worry about the cost of my two sons attending university," Xie Zhengquan said happily.
"Unified epidemic prevention + technical exchange" solves technical problems
"The does at Old Jiang's house are sick. I have to go over and take a look." On December 2, Zhou Shili, head of the cooperative, had just finished lunch and was busy again.
As the cooperative's membership increased and the scale of farming expanded, technical problems in farming followed. "Whichever family's goats stop eating, whichever family's goats get sick, we must rush to the scene immediately to understand the condition and provide timely treatment. We also have to coordinate with the district agriculture and animal husbandry bureau to seek technical support," Zhou Shili told the author. Although timely treatment can avoid losses, the most important thing in goat farming is still early-stage epidemic prevention.
"The cooperative carries out unified epidemic prevention for goats across the township every quarter and organizes one technical exchange for the township's large farming households, exchanging goat farming techniques and discussing diagnosis and treatment measures for certain diseases. It also holds seminars from time to time to study new epidemics so as to respond to diseases that may occur in goats at different growth stages," Zhou Shili said. After the exchange meeting ends, the cooperative's core members who attended pass the results of the exchange to all members, and the members then pass them on to small-scale farmers, achieving the effect of common progress.
"At present, the cooperative has more than 300 member households, and it is expected to market 18,000 goats this year." Speaking of the cooperative's current achievements, Zhou Shili was immensely proud.
"Traditional markets + e-commerce" respond to price fluctuations
Recently, Liu Famin has been a bit anxious. "In previous years, mutton prices were always high, and the goat farmers in the village all made money. I saw that the market was good, so I ended my working life and came back to raise goats. Just as the first batch of more than 30 goats this year was about to be marketed, I ran into falling market prices." Liu Famin said that this year the average market price of live goats was 22 yuan per kg, about 16 yuan per kg lower than last year.
"This winter's temperatures are slightly higher than in previous years, so relatively fewer people are eating mutton. In addition, a batch of low-priced sheep from other places entered the Nanchong market, dealing a blow to the local goat market and causing local goat prices to keep falling," Zhou Shili said. "But the live goat price of Yanxi goats is still maintained at 30 yuan per kg, and the mutton price is maintained at more than 50 yuan per kg." Learning of the worry in Liu Famin's heart, Zhou Shili rushed to his home in time and gave him a "reassurance pill."
In an environment of falling market prices, the selling price of Yanxi goats is still higher than the average market price. How did the cooperative do it? "On the one hand, the cooperative actively coordinates with the municipal and district agriculture and animal husbandry bureaus to increase publicity for local goats so that consumers understand the difference in value between goats and sheep. On the other hand, the cooperative has built a goat sales market in the township to attract city dwellers to come and have goats slaughtered on site or buy mutton, so that consumers can buy with confidence. At the same time, the cooperative has set up direct sales outlets for Yanxi goats in major farmers' markets in Nanchong to increase Yanxi goats' market share," Zhou Shili said. Doing good publicity and setting up direct sales outlets have, to a certain extent, withstood the cold wave in prices.
"In addition to opening up the local market, we are also actively opening up markets elsewhere," Zhou Shili said. This year, members of the cooperative traveled far and wide to investigate market conditions, learned that mutton prices in places such as Chongqing and Guizhou were relatively firm, and signed supply and marketing agreements with a number of local mutton dealers. By "capturing territory" in both internal and external markets, the interests of the township's goat farmers have been protected.
It is understood that in order to help Yanxi goats "go out" as quickly as possible, the cooperative has also attracted a group of college student members, actively opened up the internet market, used the internet to broaden sales channels, and implanted a new marketing model into a traditional industry.