The grain-growing story of major grain producer Hu Huangui

    The simple and honest Hu Huangui was the first person in Jiangjiaji Township, Huangchuan County to boldly contract abandoned land and lead the large-scale transfer of land contract management rights, and he is also a well-known wealth creator and major grain producer near and far. In December 2003, he received the honor of "National Major Grain Producer" from the State Council, and in May 2005 he was awarded the title of "Xinyang Municipal Model Worker" by the Xinyang Municipal People's Government. 

Daring to be first in contracting abandoned land. As is well known, at the beginning of this century, agricultural product prices continued to fall while production costs rose relatively, and combined with excessive agricultural taxes and fees, farming could not make ends meet, which severely dampened the enthusiasm of the vast number of farmers for farming. Many farming households left the land their ancestors had lived on for generations to work elsewhere, do business, or start enterprises, causing more and more cultivated land to sit idle and abandoned, and Huanglou Village was no exception. From 1998 to 2001 alone, the village accumulated more than 2,000 mu of abandoned cultivated land. Hu Huangui, who regarded land as his lifeblood, was extremely anxious and took the initiative to volunteer to the village "two committees" team to contract the abandoned land and implement large-scale operations. Just at this time, the number of households abandoning their fields was increasing day by day, and the village was worrying that no one would plant these fields, so it immediately studied the matter and decided to agree to contract the 503 mu of abandoned land to him in one go, and decided that during the contract period he would only pay agricultural tax and no contract fees or other charges, as encouragement and support. Relying on his many years of agricultural production experience and solid agricultural science and technology knowledge, Hu Huangui practiced intensive cultivation and scientific management, achieving results in the same year he contracted the land. In 2002, total grain output reached 165,000 kg, 150,000 kg of commercial grain was sold, and net income that year reached 140,000 yuan. 

Optimizing planting to boost income. In order to make the best use of the land, after careful consideration Hu Huangui decided to adapt the 503 mu of land to local conditions, arrange it rationally, and implement scientific development. Of this, 370 mu of good farmland was used to grow high-quality grain, with an annual output of 222,000 kg of rice and 50,000 kg of wheat, an annual output value of 550,000 yuan, and annual net grain income of more than 210,000 yuan. The remaining 133 mu of wasteland was used for returning farmland to forest and carrying out forestry ecological construction. The state subsidized 20,000 yuan per year for returning farmland to forest, the trees increased in net value by 30,000 yuan per year, and annual net forestry income could reach 50,000 yuan. 

Increasing investment to improve efficiency. Having farmed for most of his life, Hu Huangui knew well that without investment there is no output, and only by fully giving play to the combined role of production factors such as funds, technology, and equipment could he tap deeper potential, improve the utilization rate and output rate of the land, and ensure sustained increases in production and income. To this end, on the one hand he increased capital investment and improved mechanized farming. By the end of 2008, he had invested a cumulative 140,000 yuan, adding 4 four-wheel agricultural vehicles and 1 harvester, with mechanized farming accounting for 90% and mechanized harvesting accounting for 85%. On the other hand, he actively participated in county and township agricultural technology training classes, learned advanced production techniques, and boldly introduced and planted excellent varieties. Thanks to scientific farming, his rice averaged more than 600 kg per mu, nearly 10 percentage points higher than the local average. 

Leading villagers onto the road to prosperity. "Being rich yourself does not count as being rich; only by leading the people around you to become rich together is where the greatest realization of life's value lies." Now that Hu Huangui has become wealthy, his horizons have broadened, his mind has widened, and his confidence has grown, and his desire to lead his neighbors to prosperity has become even stronger. He provided free technical consulting services to the public more than 1,000 person-times and gave away a cumulative total of 1,000 kg of excellent seeds free of charge. Under his leadership and support, 4 households in Huanglou Village successively emerged as major grain producers with 100 mu each, and nearly 260 farming households achieved scientific farming and prosperity. 

Ambitious plans to unfold a grand vision. "When poor, one thinks of becoming rich; when rich, one thinks of advancing." Although Hu Huangui now has a considerable income, he is not a person who is satisfied with the status quo. Now, full of ambition, he has decided to use crop farming and livestock and fish farming as entry points, broaden his development fields, and create new economic growth points. He will use the existing hundred-mu fish pond to carry out high-yield aquaculture of black carp, grass carp, silver carp, and other fish; relying on land transfer, he will invest in developing 50 mu of water surface for soft-shelled turtle farming. 

During the conversation with Hu Huangui, he could not help but express his heartfelt emotion: "It is land transfer that made me this national-level major grain producer and made my current undertaking possible. The Third Plenary Session of the 17th Central Committee encouraged rural land to be transferred faster and operated on an appropriate scale, which is indeed a wise decision. I will use my own experience as an example, play a role in the building of a new countryside, guide and drive land to concentrate toward major producers, and firmly continue along the road of industrialized and large-scale operation!"