Kiwifruit farming opens the door to prosperity for farmers

In the golden autumn season, with abundant fruits, nature paints scene after scene of a colorful golden autumn harvest picture. On October 20, walking into Siping Village, Dongxing Township, Mao County, one sees stretch after stretch of lush, verdant kiwifruit orchards hanging full of yellow-brown, fuzzy kiwifruits. Egg-sized, one after another, they are most endearing.

In the orchard of Jian Zhichen, the village's largest kiwifruit grower, villagers who came to help were picking under the kiwifruit trees with baskets and bamboo hampers, and busy figures of villagers could be seen everywhere in the orchard.

In the courtyard, freshly picked kiwifruits were piled up. Packed into boxes and carried away, basket after basket of kiwifruits kept coming down from the orchard, and the villagers were busy beyond measure.

"Our village has suitable climate conditions, and the kiwifruits that grow here are large and taste good." Speaking of the kiwifruits he grows, Jian Zhichen could not help but open up. He said his family's kiwifruits had never been sprayed with pesticides or fertilized with chemical fertilizers, and the fruits produced were all pure natural and the healthiest.

The ecologically high-quality kiwifruits built a good reputation for Jian Zhichen. "Most of the customers who buy kiwifruits from me are from this county, and some are bosses who come from Dujiangyan. Yesterday I even received an order from Fujian, and in a while I'll be busy shipping it to him!" He told the reporter that what worried him now was not the sales channel, but the yield.

Jian Zhichen was the first person to grow kiwifruit in Mao County. Relying on techniques learned over many years and accumulated experience, he grows more than 50 mu of kiwifruit, which are growing well. "This year, more than 10 mu of my land entered the full-fruit stage, with a yield of more than 20,000 jin. At the price of 2 yuan per jin for ordinary kiwifruit and 12 yuan per jin for red-fleshed kiwifruit, I can earn at least a hundred thousand or so." Good yield and good price let Jian Zhichen taste the "sweetness" brought by growing kiwifruit.

As early as 2006, Jian Zhichen accidentally saw news online about kiwifruit farming in Guangyuan, which aroused great interest in him. At that time, Jian Zhichen, who was not well off, took the only more than 10,000 yuan his family had and set off on the road to Guangyuan to buy kiwifruit saplings.

A shortage of funds and poor management once left Jian Zhichen's kiwifruit growing in a confused situation. Especially after the 2008 earthquake, he was busy with post-disaster reconstruction and had no time at all to manage it. It was not until 2009 that Jian Zhichen once again began learning everywhere and conducting inspections to accumulate management experience.

"The year before last, only a few thousand jin were produced; last year it reached more than 10,000 jin; this year it reached more than 20,000 jin. Calculating on this basis, next year's yield will at least double, which means income will double as well." After years of cultivation, this year he finally tasted the "sweet fruit."

With his own pockets fuller, Jian Zhichen did not forget to lead the surrounding villagers to prosperity together. He taught them the techniques free of charge, and even paid out of his own pocket to invite experts who understood the techniques to come to the village to give lessons and guidance to the villagers.

Chen Haijin, who was helping pack in the courtyard, was one of them. More than 10 mu of his family's kiwifruit had begun to bear fruit, and he had asked Jian Zhichen for advice on all the growing techniques, while Jian Zhichen was also helping with sales. "Not only in our own township; now quite a few villagers from Tumen Township are also learning kiwifruit growing techniques here."

Driven by Jian Zhichen, Dongxing Township began vigorously developing kiwifruit growing through industrial structural adjustment in 2009. At present, the kiwifruit industry has begun to show results. The whole township has now introduced 5 varieties of kiwifruit including red-fleshed, Jinguo and Hayward, and developed a kiwifruit growing scale of more than 1,000 mu.

Now, Jian Zhichen is busy with the matter of establishing a cooperative. "Only by joining forces now can we all become prosperous." Speaking of his plans, Jian Zhichen looked full of confidence. "I also want to expand the planting area, develop more new varieties and valuable varieties, and mobilize more people to grow kiwifruit together."