The largest loach breeding cooperative in southern Sichuan seeks the dream of prosperity in its ponds

Loaches in the pond kept leaping out of the water, stirring up layer upon layer of spray, and the warm early-winter sun cast shimmering light across the pond's surface. Tang Guobang said that having succeeded in his own business, he still wants to help more people get rich, and that is his dream.

Tang Guobang is a post-80s farmer from Tuanshan Village, Yongnian Town, Fushun County, Zigong City. He once worked in Guangdong and did business in Hunan, and returned to his hometown to start a business in 2013. To date, he has invested a total of more than 6 million yuan to build a 500-mu loach farming base, and it is estimated that this year's total revenue from selling loach fry and marketable loach will reach 12 million yuan.

What gives him the greatest sense of achievement is that the base he built is the largest and most modern loach farming base in Zigong City; and the cooperative he took the lead in establishing has more than 100 members and 2,000 mu of farming bases both within and outside the province, making it the largest loach breeding cooperative in southern Sichuan. Many of the farmers he helped when starting his business have since succeeded in starting businesses of their own.

Not long ago, Du Wanming, the village Party secretary of Tuanshan Village, led several villagers to the loach base for a visit and to learn. "Now quite a few households in the village are raising loach under Boss Tang's guidance. Another 10-plus households are also preparing to build ponds," Du Wanming said. "Liu Yuli from Group 7 used to raise loach but failed because of poor technique, so he went out to work again. Now that he sees Boss Tang making money, Liu Yuli has come back to renovate the old pond, build new ponds, and take up his old trade again."

Chen Shunhong, a villager from Group 10 of Bolin Village, Pengmiao Town, Fushun County, returned to his hometown in May this year and, with Tang Guobang's help, raised loach on 120 mu, and estimates that by the end of the year total revenue can reach about 5 million yuan.

Among those who came to learn techniques were Mo Caijin, a villager from Minyi Village, Zhongdu Town, Pingshan County, and his wife, who also wanted to buy some fry to take back. "My loach variety is good and the yield is very high. After 4 months of farming, the yield per mu is close to 3,500 jin," Tang Guobang said as he led them around the ponds, carefully explaining farming and management techniques.

Tang Guobang told this writer that since last year, more than 100 farming households from the local area as well as Hunan, Hubei, Guizhou, Chongqing and other provinces and municipalities have joined the aquaculture cooperative he took the lead in establishing, with members setting up 2,000 mu of farming bases in various places. In addition to selling fry at cost, he also sends professional staff to visit homes free of charge to plan and build intensive culture ponds and provide technical guidance; at the same time, contracts are signed to handle buybacks, helping members open up sales channels. It is estimated that members of the entire cooperative can generate more than 20 million yuan in profits this year.