Chen Fangmei: return home to start a business and write the Blueberry Sutra

Starting from the urban area of Nanjing, driving along National Highway 104, in the emerging community of Chunhua Street, Jiangning District, on the outskirts of Nanjing, a blueberry garden of nearly 300 mu is growing gratifying and full of tourists. Every year, between May and July, blueberries are on the market. Chen Fangmei, the owner of the blueberry garden, is busy with happiness, reaping success and joy.

Chen Fangmei named her blueberry planting cooperative "Rui Xi." she said cheerfully, "this is the name of my granddaughter. I named and registered this blueberry garden after her. I treat it as if it were my relatives." cherish it as much as I do. "

Chen Fangmei had a very happy family. In her early years, her husband worked on municipal engineering and accumulated a rich family fortune. She could have lived a leisurely life, but Chen Fangmei, who was born in the countryside, had a restless heart. "she originally wanted to go back to her hometown for retirement. I didn't know that I was moved by the cadres in the village. I plunged into agricultural development and asked for hard work." Chen Fangmei laughed at herself.

In 2010, Chen Fangmei took the principal of 5 million yuan given by her husband to expand the territory on a wasteland of nearly 300mu. "at that time, the first feeling was to grow varieties that were scarce on the market, and blueberries were a good choice."

In recent years, blueberry, a fruit with high anthocyanin content, has become more and more popular, but it has its own way of growing. "the survival rate of the first batch of selected blueberries was very low, and they did not know how to prune and fertilize, which ended in failure." Chen Fangmei said with regret, "it was I who destroyed the first batch of blueberries. I must choose the best blueberries and grow different blueberries."

Chen Fangmei attended a special technical training course with planting problems and made a special trip to Shanghai to consult blueberry planting experts. She also invited Professor Li Yadong, president of the China Blueberry Association, as the chief expert of the Ruixi Blueberry planting Cooperative. "Professor Li instructed us to introduce the American blueberry Misty variety, which is a large, sweet and waxy blueberry variety. It's a rare product."

With the advice of industry experts, Chen Fangmei had the courage to take a chance: "the blueberry planting cycle is five years, and if there is no input, there will be no output. I have invested my own funds one after another, plus a loan of nearly 20 million yuan from the bank."

Where there's a will, there's a way. The first year that Chen Fangmei's Ruixi blueberry went on the market in 2015, it "captured" the market with a special gold taste, with an annual operating income of 3.5 million yuan and a net profit of 1.5 million yuan.

After the great success of the small test, Chen Fangmei became more confident. "the most urgent thing right now is to promote good things." Chen Fangmei is well aware that the characteristics of blueberries determine their short shelf life and high transportation costs, which pose problems for product marketing.

Chen Fangmei took the blueberries she had just picked and went straight to the famous logistics wholesale market in Nanjing-- Zhongcai Logistics Market. "I went directly to the fruit wholesalers and let them taste them in person." What Chen Fangmei did not expect is that this direct and simple marketing method unexpectedly moved a number of fruit wholesalers, and the wholesalers nodded and approved, making Chen Fangmei excited.

On the one hand, Chen Fangmei made use of large companies such as Zhongcai Logistics Wholesale Market, on the other hand, she contacted the local news media to carry out three-dimensional publicity. At the same time, Chen Fangmei paid more attention to further expanding the sales of blueberries through agricultural tourism. She cooperated with schools, travel agencies and other units to hold the "Rui Xi Blueberry picking Festival" to attract tourists to enjoy agricultural fun while picking, and to promote product sales by tourists. Realize the virtuous circle of blueberry planting, production and sales.

In early July this year, the peak season for blueberries was not over, and Chen Fangmei's Ruixi blueberries had been sold out. "several colorful wholesalers are still chasing me for goods, but they are really out of stock this year. Let's get them ready early next year." Chen Fangmei said proudly.

In a short period of two years, Chen Fangmei's Rui Xi Blueberry planting Professional Cooperative was recommended by Jiangsu Radio and Television Station as Jiangsu high-quality green ecological pollution-free planting demonstration base, and won the title of Jiangning District demonstration Family Farm. "Blueberry derivatives are also under development, including blueberry wine, dried blueberries and blueberry jam," Chen said. "

As a native of the emerging community, Chen Fangmei does not forget to drive the surrounding farmers to generate income and become rich. At present, the Ruixi blueberry planting professional cooperative has absorbed 50 surrounding members, with an average annual income increase of more than 20,000 yuan and a per capita income increase of more than 20%.

Ruixi blueberry planting professional cooperative has not only solved the employment of more than 80 local rural female labor force, but also radiated more than 100 rural households and seasonal employment, increased the income of surrounding farmers by 15000 yuan, and truly achieved industrial efficiency and farmers' income.

Standing in the 300-acre blueberry garden, Chen Fangmei has a bigger vision: "in the future, if we build a standardized greenhouse here, the picking period of blueberries can be longer, and our goal is to build ecological agriculture, leisure agriculture and sightseeing agriculture."