Okra cultivation helps farmers in Handan, Hebei open the door to prosperity
Recently, this writer saw in Xia Village, Chaibao Town, Guantao County, Handan, that on the branches of each okra plant grew fruits resembling chili peppers, and on the tender fruits bloomed golden-yellow flowers one after another, fluttering in the wind, a scene of harvest. Feng Changbin, who was picking ripe fruits, said with a smile: "Okra grows fast; generally it must be picked when it grows to five to six cm, and its length cannot exceed 10 cm." As he spoke, he parted layer upon layer of green leaves and pinched off a fruit shaped like a facing-heaven chili.
Feng Changbin is a villager of Xia Village, Chaibao Town, in this county. In 2014, by a chance occasion, he learned that okra can not only enhance human immunity, but also has effects such as strengthening the stomach, promoting endocrine function, and fighting cancer, and is very popular in the market. So he devoted himself to research and visited places to inspect cultivation techniques. After a year of exploration, in March this year, he transferred more than 80 mu of contiguous land and formally developed the okra industry.
"I planted it in March; it grows very fast, and picking began in June. I pick every day, and by October it can still continue to be harvested." Feng Changbin, with a dark complexion, smiled and said that one mu of land can produce five to six thousand jin, and one jin can sell for one yuan and three jiao, which is 5 times that of planting wheat and corn. "A food factory in Shandong signed an order with me; the okra I grow is purchased directly by them after being picked."
Feng Changbin told this reporter that okra is a "crazy plant" because it grows fast and has a long picking period; basically it blooms every day and bears fruit every day, and on average one mu can earn four thousand yuan. Now, Feng Changbin is considering expanding the planting area, planning to plant 400 mu next year, to spread okra cultivation techniques, form a large-scale industry, and lead the villagers to prosperity together.