Xinhua News Agency, Guiyang, April 19th Title: Employment, income, hope, and experience - Guizhou rural industry consolidation and expansion experience

Xinhua News Agency reporter Shi Qiangui

Peng Guangming, 45 years old this year, lives in Shushe Community, Longchang Town, Weining Yi, Hui and Miao Autonomous County, Bijie City, Guizhou Province. His annual income is about 100,000 yuan. With other incomes such as raising cattle, he can also solve the expenses of his whole family without having to go out to work.

"The family has planted more than 10 acres of nectarines, and it has entered the peak fruiting period." Peng Guangming said that their nectarines were planted during the poverty alleviation campaign, and it has been seven or eight years. "A big tree can produce hundreds of kilograms of nectarines." Due to sufficient local lighting and other reasons, the nectarines produced are of good quality and have good taste, and the prices have always been relatively stable. With the increase in production year by year, the villagers' lives are becoming more and more promising.

Peach blossoms blooming in Shushe Community, Longchang Town, Weining County. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Shi Qiangui

In recent years, China Merchants Group Co., Ltd., which helped Shushe Community, has continuously increased its investment in nectarine brand building and cold chain system improvement, and the nectarine industry in Shushe Community has been growing and growing. "The core area of ​​Shushe Community has planted 1,000 acres of nectarines, which has led to the planting of nearly 5,000 acres of nectarines in the surrounding three villages." Gao Lin, deputy secretary of the Party Committee of Longchang Town, told reporters that in addition to nectarines, Shushe Community has also planted fruits such as pears and apricots to appreciate flowers in spring and pick fruits in summer, effectively driving local villagers to increase their income.

The reporter conducted research in many places in Guizhou and found that most of the rural industries developed since the poverty alleviation campaign have been continued and developed, becoming an important channel for rural residents to increase their income.

Recently, it is the important season for spring tea picking. In the tea gardens in Chuandong Street, Puding County, Anshun City, Guizhou Province, people picking tea can be seen everywhere. "White tea costs 30 yuan per kilogram, and gold leaves costs 50 yuan per kilogram, with a minimum income of 1 or 200 yuan a day." said Yang Qin, a villager who picked tea.

Workers are harvesting tea in a tea garden in Chuandong Street, Puding County. (Photo provided by the interviewee)

Shi Shaoyong, head of Guizhou Dahong Yongsheng Organic Ecological Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., introduced that the company's tea garden area is about 1,000 mu, and during peak periods, more than 200 people picking tea every day. At present, the local "Before Ming Tea" has been picked, and the "Before Ming Tea" is expected to be picked for about half a month. The company needs to pay about 1.8 million yuan in labor wages for tea picking costs and tea garden maintenance, which will drive more than 10,000 jobs for surrounding villagers every year. "As tea gardens gradually enter a period of high yields, the number of labor will increase further in the future," he said.

Recently, the reporter came to Lekang Village, Zhexiang Town, Wangmo County, Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Qiannan, Guizhou Province. Hundreds of acres of vegetables are growing in full swing, and vegetables such as melons and eggplant have begun to be launched one after another.

"Developing industries is the key to rural revitalization and an important way for villagers to increase their income." Shan Le, the first secretary of Lekang Village, introduced that in order to further increase the income of local residents, in 2023, Lekang Village introduced a large-scale grower to Lekang Village and took advantage of the climate advantages of geothermal river valley to develop the vegetable industry.

A corner of the vegetable base in Lekang Village, Zhexiang Town, Wangmo County. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Shi Qiangui

"The annual rent of land for growing vegetables is 600 to 900 yuan per mu, and a large number of jobs are provided." Mao Shunmin, the head of the vegetable base, said that dozens of people work in the vegetable base every day, and during the busy farming period, it reaches one or two hundred people. In 2024, the vegetable base will spend more than 3.5 million yuan on labor expenses alone. Due to proper management and maintenance, although it is planted open-air, one acre of land can still produce more than 8,000 kilograms of vegetables every year, with a yield value of about 20,000 yuan per mu.