Jinzhu She Ethnic Township's Cold-Water Paddy Fields: Farming Rice Flower Fish Leads to Prosperity
"Raising fish in rice paddies is a good path; it saves both fertilizer and pesticide. Last year my family's paddy field produced 213 kg of rice flower fish, fresh fish sold for as much as 25 yuan per kg, and dried fish also sold for 300 yuan per kg, bringing a net profit of 5,200 yuan. This year I want to expand the scale of farming." Recently, Lan Gensheng, a man in his sixties from Jinzhu She Ethnic Township in Le'an County, said with a chuckle. Rice flower fish are small common carp that grow up eating rice flowers and rice pests; they are not large, but their flesh is tender and delicious.
The people of Jinzhu She Ethnic Township have a habit of raising rice flower fish, but originally they only raised a small number to entertain relatives and friends. After the practice of closing hillsides to facilitate afforestation was implemented, farmers who once lived off the mountains also changed their thinking and began to develop mountain forests in a planned way and protect ecological resources. The area is located in a mountainous region with insufficient sunshine, and the paddy fields are called "cold-water paddy fields" by the local people. In recent years, the township has vigorously adjusted the structure of the agricultural industry, encouraged farmers to invigorate distinctive industries, and promoted the rice-fish farming project in "cold-water paddy fields" according to local conditions, while increasing policy and financial support and distributing fish fry to the masses free of charge. At the same time, it also sent technical personnel to provide field guidance and vigorously broadened the sales channels for rice flower fish. Last year, 60% of the township's farmers raised rice flower fish in their fields, with a total area of 8,000 mu, producing more than 10,000 kg of fresh rice flower fish and more than 600 kg of dried rice flower fish, becoming a new growth point for the township's farmers' income.