Sweet potatoes are growing well in Yasha Village of Majing’ao Town of Jishou City. And farmers are busy harvesting them in the planting base which will be transported to the processing plant.
“I planted more than 130 mu (about 8.67 hectares) of sweet potatoes this year through land transfer, abandoned land management, and other methods. From planting, weeding, and fertilizing to digging sweet potatoes now, I directly hired villagers for 100 yuan per day. Now, I hire more than 10 people to dig sweet potatoes every day, and basically can harvest more than 2,500 kilograms per day, which can be sold directly to the sweet potato processing plant in the village,” said Liang Guixu, a large grower in Yasha Village.
In the sweet potato processing plant, workers are busy producing sweet potato series products. “This factory is the only sweet potato processing plant that we have set up in Jishou City this year. Now, more than 30 local workers work in the plant. Some sweet potatoes from surrounding villages and other towns are also sold to the plant, and 15,000 to 20,000 kg of fresh sweet potatoes can be purchased every day and processed into sweet potato starch and vermicelli,” said the head of the factory.
To ensure the cultivation of characteristic agricultural products, deeply integrate the primary, secondary and tertiary industries, extend the industrial chain and enhance the product added value, relying on its abundant raw materials of sweet potatoes, the village actively attracts investment.
It has introduced a company in Longshan County engaged in producing selenium-enriched local specialties to build a factory in Yasha Village, and established Jishou Yasha Food Company that focuses on sweet potato processing and sales.
The company adopts a development model of “company plus village collective plus cooperative”, under which the village provides processing plants for the company and collects a portion of the company’s profits as village collective economic income.
The village cooperative provides sweet potatoes as raw materials for production and processing, while villagers can also work nearby to increase income, achieving a “multi-win” situation.
Yasha Village has not only optimized the allocation of agricultural resources through sweet potato cultivation, but also achieved industrial transformation and upgrading by extending the industrial chain.
While opening up multiple channels for villagers to increase income, it also contributes to the sustainable development of the village collective economy and local economy.
“The development of the sweet potato industry this year has created job opportunities for over 40 poor households in the village. It’s expected that the income of the village collective economy will increase by over 100,000 yuan this year,” said Zhang Anping, Party secretary of the village.
Chinese source: rednet
