Trichosanthes kirilowii planting supports the dream of prosperity for a post-80s entrepreneur in Lezhi
Fifteen years ago, Yang Mingbo, then only 16 years old and just graduated from junior high school, set out to work away from home. Ten years of hard knocks made this young post-80s man taste the bitterness of migrant work to the full. Five years ago, the young Yang Mingbo returned to his hometown with a wealth of life experience and set out to pursue his entrepreneurial dream.
A few days ago, when the reporter arrived at Daozuomiao Village, Tonglyu Town, Lezhi County, this shy post-80s young man was busy directing his fellow villagers as they harvested Trichosanthes kirilowii in the fields.
Having tasted bitterness, he resolutely returned home to start a business
Speaking of his entrepreneurial journey, Yang Mingbo has walked a hard road. At the age of 16, Yang Mingbo, who had not yet fully shed his "bookish air," joined the ranks of migrant workers, following relatives and friends to do construction, work in factories and do sales in Chengdu and the surrounding areas. Several years of experience made the young Yang Mingbo taste the bitterness of migrant work to the full.
In 2008, relying on a young person's drive and unwillingness to admit defeat, Yang Mingbo, introduced by a friend, went alone to Tongchuan, Weinan and other places in Shaanxi to engage in the grain and Chinese medicinal herb business. However, doing business was not as wonderful as he had imagined, and Yang Mingbo found himself caught in a dilemma.
"So many years of drifting about gradually calmed me down," Yang Mingbo said. "Rather than running around outside, it would be better to develop things in my hometown." While doing the medicinal herb business, Yang Mingbo learned that Trichosanthes kirilowii has excellent edible and medicinal value and broad market prospects. The idea of returning home to grow Trichosanthes kirilowii gradually took root in Yang Mingbo's mind.
After much consideration, in 2010 Yang Mingbo went alone to Qianshan County, Anhui, to investigate and learn the planting and management techniques for Trichosanthes kirilowii, and brought seedlings back to trial-plant in Daozuomiao Village, Tonglyu Town, his hometown. From the initial few mu to more than 40 mu, Yang Mingbo kept exploring and summarizing. Over several years, his Trichosanthes kirilowii growing techniques gradually matured.
At the end of 2014, Yang Mingbo actively negotiated with the surrounding villagers and first transferred 130 mu of land for growing Trichosanthes kirilowii, beginning his entrepreneurial dream.
Down-to-earth and willing to work hard, Trichosanthes kirilowii supports his dream of prosperity
After the land transfer was completed, Yang Mingbo called on his fellow villagers to clear the land, plant Trichosanthes kirilowii and build Trichosanthes kirilowii trellises. In no time, more than 130 mu of abandoned land was filled with hope once again. Under Yang Mingbo's leadership, the former wasteland was planted with Trichosanthes kirilowii seedlings, and most of the surrounding villagers who had transferred their land used their spare time to work in Yang Mingbo's Trichosanthes kirilowii fields, helping with field management.
"Young Yang is very capable!" Yang Zhongjun, in his 40s, often works in Yang Mingbo's Trichosanthes kirilowii fields. Speaking of his impression of Yang Mingbo, Yang Zhongjun was quite admiring. He said: "He is young and not afraid of hardship. Every day he works alongside us from dawn to dusk tending the Trichosanthes kirilowii in the fields. There aren't many people in the countryside who are so willing to work hard!"
Once the Trichosanthes kirilowii harvest season arrived, Yang Mingbo was even busier from dawn to dusk. In the fields, the author saw golden Trichosanthes kirilowii hanging all over the trellises, and more than 10 workers, led by Yang Mingbo, were harvesting the ripe Trichosanthes kirilowii, a scene of great activity. Watching the Trichosanthes kirilowii being picked one by one, filling the bags and being transported home, Yang Mingbo was full of joy. All these years of hard work had not been in vain after all.
"Every part of Trichosanthes kirilowii is a treasure. The rind can be used as medicine, the seeds can be eaten, and its root can also be made into Tianhuafen. Its utility value is great, and selling only fresh fruit is not worthwhile." For this reason, Yang Mingbo also built his own roasting room. After harvesting the fresh fruit and removing the seeds, the rind is sent to the roasting room for drying, effectively making use of the added value of Trichosanthes kirilowii.
As for this year's returns, Yang Mingbo also calculated them in detail for the reporter: "The market prospects for Trichosanthes kirilowii are very good, and we don't have to worry about selling ours. Each mu can produce more than 3,000 jin of fresh fruit, with an output value of about 3,500 yuan per mu. After deducting seedlings, labor, fertilizer and so on, this year's returns are around 500,000 yuan. I am very confident about growing Trichosanthes kirilowii!"
As for future development plans, this young post-80s man also has his own ideas. Next, Yang Mingbo plans to continue expanding the scale of Trichosanthes kirilowii planting and encourage surrounding villagers to take part in growing it. In addition, through online information platforms, Yang Mingbo has also developed more than 260 mu of Trichosanthes kirilowii planting in Tongnan, Chongqing, Suining, Anyue and other places, responsible for providing seedlings and technical support and buying back the Trichosanthes kirilowii. He said: "You have to take the long view and not be satisfied with the existing Trichosanthes kirilowii planting model. If you want to use Trichosanthes kirilowii to achieve new development, you have to use your brain more."