Seed corn production underpins Zhang Tao's dream of prosperity

Zhang Tao, 30 this year, is from Yaotan Village, Yingshuiqiao Town, Shapotou District. He was originally an employee of an enterprise, but because the enterprise was doing poorly, he left and started doing small business. Perhaps due to lack of experience, Zhang Tao never found a path to prosperity, and his annual income was only 30,000 to 40,000 yuan.

In 2013, by chance, a fellow villager told Zhang Tao that by cooperating with Ningxia Huasheng Seed Industry Co., Ltd. to grow seed corn, the investment risk was small and the income was also fairly substantial. So, with a try-it-and-see attitude, he contracted 110 mu of land, planted 30 mu with silage corn, and planted all the rest with seed corn.

Zhang Tao said that this year was his first year cooperating with Huasheng Seed Industry. The silage corn on 30 mu of land was sold early, with a net income of two to three hundred yuan per mu. According to the company's minimum-guarantee policy for farmers this year, he estimated that the 80 mu of seed corn he planted this year would also bring a fairly substantial income. "For seed corn, the minimum guarantee is 2,300 yuan per mu, and the input cost is about 1,700 yuan. This year, the net income will be at least 500 yuan per mu. If the yield is good, I estimate that this year I can make about 800 yuan per mu."

As Zhang Tao calculated this year's income, a long-awaited smile appeared on his face, and he had already made plans in his heart for tomorrow. He hoped that by growing seed corn, life would become more and more prosperous.