Guizhou Ziyun: small blueberries support big industry

Blueberries prop up big industries

Chen Peng, former Deputy Director of Forestry Bureau of Ziyun Autonomous County

The picture shows Chen Peng checking the growth of blueberries.

The picture shows a blueberry base planted in succession.

In Dongkou Village, Bandang Town, Ziyun Autonomous County, the story of a legendary "civil servant farmer" who led local farmers to plant blueberries, the king of fruit, to help villagers shake off poverty and become rich has been widely told.

Chen Peng, a 41-year-old "civil servant farmer", resigned as a party member, deputy director and public office of the Forestry Bureau of Ziyun Autonomous County two months ago to concentrate on growing his blueberries. Chen Peng comes from a peasant family. Since graduating from Guizhou Forestry School in 1997, Chen Peng has been rooted in the forefront of forestry work. Because of diligence, he has come to the leading position step by step. What is the reason why he quit his "golden rice bowl" at the best age for career development and is determined to take root as a farmer in Dongkou Village, Bandang Town? With curiosity and confusion, recently, the reporter and his party went to Dongkou Village for an interview.

The car sped all the way, turning from the wide provincial highway to the country road. on both sides of the cove, patches of shrubby plants were covered with fruit, and a blue-purple fruit looked crystal clear and attractive. This is the blueberry.

The newly opened mountain road is winding and steep, surrounded by newly reclaimed terraces and planted with blueberries. The reporter was shocked by the scale. It is understood that this was originally an uninhabited barren mountain. The Guizhou Plateau Blue Agricultural Science and Technology Development Co., Ltd., founded by Chen Peng, led local farmers to reclaim wasteland despite hardships and dangers, and simply opened up this steep barren mountain into a blueberry planting base. This blueberry planting base has also become a "treasure pot" for Chen Peng to lead more than 400 poor people in Dongkou Village, Bandang Town, to shake off poverty and become rich.

To find a way for poor farmers to shake off poverty and become rich.

Chen Peng has been engaged in business and technical work since he graduated from Guizhou Forestry School and joined the Forestry Bureau of Ziyun Autonomous County. In 2010, he had an idea that Ziyun's ice-crisp plums, sweet potatoes and walnuts were all very good, but the planting industry was not big. Can Ziyun's mountain resources be used to set up a planting industry with greater economic benefits and bring greater benefits to poor farmers? Chen Peng has been thinking in his mind. The blueberries with high economic benefits attracted the attention of Chen Peng, and the deputy director of the Forestry Bureau decided to inspect and understand blueberry cultivation.

After successively inspecting the main blueberry producing areas in the three eastern provinces, Shandong, and Nanjing, the Forestry Bureau of Ziyun Autonomous County invited experts to evaluate the climate and soil of Ziyun. The results show that the climate and soil of most areas of Ziyun are very suitable for growing blueberries. At this time, the problem in front of Chen Peng is the selection of blueberry varieties. After careful selection, six varieties, such as "South Gaocong" and "North Gaocong", have been designated as the main varieties for Ziyun to develop blueberry cultivation.

In September 2013, Ziyun Autonomous County issued a policy of encouraging cadres and workers to run the industry with pay. At that time, a large number of people signed up, and Chen Peng boldly applied. After signing up, Chen Peng used weekends to try out blueberries before the contract for the lead industry was signed.

"after further understanding of the climate and soil around Ziyun, I chose Dongkou Village, Bandang Town as the leading industry and the base for growing blueberries." Chen Peng said that there is a large area of poverty in Dongkou village, and blueberry cultivation is a labor-intensive industry, and he hopes that growing blueberries will find a way for local poor farmers to shake off poverty and become rich.

In February 2014, with the support of the government and relevant departments, the blueberry planting demonstration garden in Dongkou Village, Bandang Town, covering an area of 300 mu, was planted, all of which were big seedlings that could hang fruit in that year.

In October 2014, Chen Peng formally signed a paid industrial contract with the Industry Office of Ziyun Autonomous County.

The deputy director turned to "farmer".

"it was very difficult to start a business. at that time, I only had more than 100,000 yuan. I borrowed some money based on my reputation and found partners to invest. The original 300 mu blueberry planting demonstration garden in Dongkou Village opened as scheduled." Chen Peng said that after careful planting, planning and operation, and on the basis of sightseeing picking, he took the initiative to contact Beijing fruit wholesalers for sales. In more than a year, he invested more than 2 million yuan in the blueberry planting demonstration garden to recover the investment cost.

At the moment, the blueberry planting demonstration garden in Dongkou Village, Bandang Town has attracted the attention of Guizhou lark Group. After investigation, the relevant person in charge of the group decided to help the development of the blueberry planting demonstration garden. At the end of 2015, with the strong support of the county, through land transfer and making use of the slopes around the demonstration park, the blueberry planting demonstration garden in Dongkou Village, Bandang Town, was expanded by another 3000 mu. In January 2016, Guizhou lark Group acquired a 60% stake in the planting demonstration park and renamed it Ziyunling Ecological Blueberry Garden.

Since March this year, new seedlings have been planted on most of the newly added 3000 mu of land. In April, Chen Peng formally resigned from public office and became an authentic "farmer", dealing with land and farmers all day.

Extend the blueberry industry chain

"the blueberry market has a high recognition rate. Blueberry fruit is rich in nutrients and plays a good role in nutrition and health care. " Chen Peng said that blueberries are listed as one of the five major health foods by the International Food and Agriculture Organization because of their rich nutrients and special bioactive substances. The market demand is increasing year by year and has broad prospects for development. At present, the blueberry industry has a strong development momentum and remarkable benefits, which is of great significance to cultivate new economic growth points, develop fruit industry, increase people's income in producing areas, and promote economic transformation in forest areas.

Chen Peng said that at present, there are more than 10 provinces in the commercial cultivation areas of blueberries in China, from Heilongjiang Province in the northeast to Yunnan and Guizhou in the southwest, making blueberries a new type of national fruit tree. At present, with the capital injection of Guizhou lark Group and its broad market resources, he is full of confidence in Ziyun blueberry industry.

"Ziyunbailing Ecological Blueberry Orchard is the largest continuous development blueberry base in Guizhou at present." Chen Peng said that the new blueberry base of 3000 mu is expected to yield benefits in 2019, when the fresh fruit output will reach 3 million jin, with an output value of 80 to 90 million yuan. Ziyun lark ecological blueberry garden is applying for provincial agricultural industrial park, Ziyun blueberry will also be actively declared as a geographical indication product.

Chen Peng said that in order to extend the industrial chain, avoid the market risk of selling single fresh fruit, and improve efficiency, the site has been financed to build a blueberry food processing base for the production and development of dried blueberry fruit, blueberry wine, blueberry juice, blueberry jam, blueberry capsule and so on. "the processing base is not far from the highway and is expected to be put into production in the second half of next year."

Let more poor farmers shake off poverty and become rich

Chen Peng said that at present, there are 30 to 40 local farmers working in the blueberry orchard every day, with a maximum of more than 100. At present, there are 153 poor farmers and more than 400 poor people in Dongkou village. Next, he plans to contract an additional 3000 mu of blueberry base to 100 poor peasant households, and the three-year contract period will enable them to shake off poverty and become rich. "when poor farmers are lifted out of poverty, we will turn them out of poverty into industrial workers, and then turn them into shareholders, and finally become owners of 70% shares in Blueberry Orchard. At that time, we will shift our focus to the market and invest in the deep processing of blueberries. Through a reasonable determination of the proportion of interest distribution, so as to achieve the goal of win-win and promote the common prosperity of farmers. "

"in the next step, we will also provide blueberry seedlings to the remaining poor households, and through their own planting and management, the blueberry base will be expanded by another 2000 mu, so as to finally solve the problem of food and clothing for all poor households." Chen Peng said that the development of blueberry planting industry in Dongkou Village can not only drive local farmers to become rich, but also consolidate the achievements of returning farmland to forests.