Small cherries write a big story of prosperity: the entrepreneurial story of agronomist Xu Fujun

The people living on both banks of the Zongxi River in Nayong have long had the habit of planting cherries.

However, the cherries of the Zongxi River previously had a "fatal flaw" - they could not last overnight. That is, the cherries picked had to be eaten the same day; if they were left until the next day they would spoil, and some could not even last until the next day. In addition, because transportation was inconvenient before, the cherries planted by the villagers were mostly for their own consumption, or just three or five jin sold in nearby townships, and could not be sold far away at all.

It was not until a local agronomist named Xu Fujun, based on a variant cherry plant he discovered by chance, bred a new variety. Compared with ordinary cherries, it not only has larger fruit and thicker flesh, but also has no distinction between "on" and "off" years, yielding abundantly every year. The key point is that after being picked from the tree, it can remain unchanged in color for four days at room temperature, basically solving the "cannot last overnight" problem. Because its shape and color are both like agate, Xu Fujun simply called it "Agate Red".

Agate Red quickly made the local people wealthy. All kinds of farmhouse restaurants, pan-fried food stalls, barbecue stalls, eateries and leisure and entertainment venues can be found everywhere, and every household has built a new house and bought a car. As the fame of "Agate Red" gradually grew, many people from other places came attracted by its reputation to introduce and cultivate it. At present, it has been successfully introduced and cultivated in Sichuan, Yunnan, Chongqing, Hunan and other places.

Especially after the expressway opened, the number of people attracted by its reputation to taste Agate Red cherries became countless.

Agate Red has become "red" in fame. But the agronomist named Xu Fujun still silently holds his ground and works in his own orchard. Now he has an even bigger goal: to get all the fellow townspeople who have gone out to work to return home and plant cherries, so that together they can make "cherry money" and live off the industry.

AFFINITY

In July 1986, Xu Fujun graduated from the horticulture program of the Qianxinan Prefecture Agricultural School, and was then assigned to work at the county Agricultural Bureau's Agriculture-Industry-Commerce Resource Development Company. In 1990, Xu Fujun, who was serving as a technician at the county Agricultural Bureau, after brief deliberation, actively responded to the county party committee and government policy encouraging government organs, cadres and employees to establish "four gardens and three farms", and returned home with his position and salary retained to establish the Zongxi River Horticulture Farm.

One day in 1996, while managing his own orchard, Xu Fujun accidentally discovered that one cherry plant was different from the others. Out of professional sensitivity, Xu Fujun, with immense excitement and full enthusiasm, consulted a large amount of material and determined that this was a mutated plant, and so came up with the idea of using this mutated plant to breed a new cherry variety. He was as careful as if caring for a baby, paying close attention to the growth changes of the cherry plant and conscientiously keeping observation records. Using clonal propagation and planting at different altitudes, through experimentation, demonstration and promotion, he gradually selected and bred a new cherry variety - the Agate Red cherry. In December 2011, it passed the review of the Guizhou Provincial Crop Variety Committee.

MAKING IT BIG

Whether Agate Red cherries taste good still has to be decided by the market. In 2004, Xu Fujun took samples of Agate Red cherries to Guiyang for trial sales, and a hotel bought them all at the high price of 16 yuan per kilogram.

After returning, he was full of confidence and began to expand the planting area of Agate Red cherries. In July 2006, he registered Nayong County Wanshou Agate Red Cherry Co., Ltd., dedicated to the seedling cultivation, planting, sales, research and development of Agate Red cherries.

In 2007, the company was rated as a "Key Leading Enterprise in Agricultural Industrialization Management in Bijie Prefecture". In April 2009,

he also registered the "Agate Red" trademark. In 2010, it won the title of "National Advanced Unit for Popular Science Benefiting Farmers and Revitalizing Villages". In 2013, the Nayong County Agate Red Cherry Industry Demonstration Park, mainly relying on the company and the base, was formally established. In April 2014, it was approved by the province as a "Provincial-Level Modern and Efficient Agriculture Demonstration Park". In March 2014, the Nayong County General Branch of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang conferred the name "Ecological Civilization Construction Practice Base of the Nayong County General Branch of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang" and held a grand unveiling ceremony.

While developing the company, Xu Fujun, in accordance with the business philosophy of "develop one industry, enrich one region", continuously improved the business model of "company + cooperative + base + farmers", vigorously developed the Agate Red cherry industry, and actively led surrounding farmers to prosperity.

At present, Xu Fujun operates more than 100 mu of cherry orchard and is establishing a complete cherry production and sales chain. The cherry industry is also being rolled out comprehensively across more than 10 townships in Nayong County, and is leading the development of local mountain-area characteristic agriculture.

MAKING IT STRONG

In March 2007, a report in Guizhou Daily titled "Agronomist Xu Fujun Is Deeply Attached to the Fruit Industry, Rooted in Deep Mountains for 20 Years, and His Scientific Research Achievement Agate Red Cherry Leads the People of a Region to Prosperity" made Xu Fujun "famous overnight". Subsequently, special reports successively launched by China National Radio, Bijie Daily and Bijie TV Station added fuel to the fire.

Honors came one after another. In 2007, the leading group of the national "Create Green Homes and Build Prosperous New Villages" action awarded him the honorary title of "National Green Well-Off Household". In 2009, he won the honorary title of "Advanced Worker of Bijie Prefecture". In 2010, he won the honorary title of "Advanced Worker of Guizhou Province" and was commended by the provincial people's government. In 2011, he won the honorary title of "One Hundred Model Individuals of Bijie Prefecture". In 2012, he won the honorary title of "National Leader in Popular Science Demonstration". In April 2013, he won the Bijie City Science and Technology Award. In June 2013, "Bijie Cherry Improved Variety Breeding and High-Quality Cultivation Demonstration" won the first prize of the "Guizhou Province Agricultural Harvest Award", and in December of the same year it won the second prize of the "National Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Harvest Award". In December 2013, "Bijie Agate Red Cherry Breeding and Efficient Cultivation Demonstration" won the third prize of the "Guizhou Province Science and Technology Progress Award"······

In the face of a series of achievements and honors, Xu Fujun is not satisfied, but instead strides toward a higher development goal. He said that he will rely on the existing base, make full use of the existing brand advantages, gradually expand the scale of production and operation, and lead more farmers to prosperity; introduce technology and processing equipment to process Agate Red cherries and increase the added value of the products; give play to the radiating and leading role of the company as a leading enterprise, advance the construction of the Agate Red cherry industry demonstration park, promote the industrialized operation and development of the Agate Red cherry industry, and lead more fellow townspeople to make "cherry money".