Since 1986, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China has provided targeted assistance to Longshan and Yongshun, helping them leverage their own advantages to improve product quantity and quality, lifting the two counties out of poverty.
But planting lilies causes soil contamination and fertilizer damage, so crop rotation is the only option. Because Longshan County lacks sufficient land, many lily growers have transferred land from other counties to develop enclave economy for a long time.
Due to factors such as a single product and a saturated market, the development of Longshan Lily industry is facing bottlenecks.
Longshan County has become a first-class breeding and supply base for virus-free lily varieties in China.
In the Yongshun Kiwi Experimental Station of Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, the standardized planting area, new variety display area, seedling breeding area and other areas are eye-catching, with advanced technologies and equipment for precise water and fertilizer regulation, and green prevention and control of orchard diseases, pests and weeds available.
“The experimental station covers an area of 35 mu (2.33 hectares) and was jointly established by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and CAAS. It mainly conducts experiments, and demonstrations in variety selection, cultivation research, plant protection and control, and comprehensive field management. Now, the experimental station has improved 15 new kiwi varieties, laying a good foundation for the subsequent development of the kiwifruit industry in Yongshun County,” Yao Erqiang, deputy county mayor of Yongshun County, said.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has taken 23 specific assistance measures in 5 aspects for Yongshun County within 38 years, dispatched 30 outstanding cadres to carry out targeted assistance, provided about 1.1 billion yuan of assistance funds, and helped attract about 300 million yuan of funds. It has also helped implemented and applied for over 100 projects, introduced 30 academicians and experts’ characteristic industry workstations, build 1.43 million mu (95,333.33 hectares) of characteristic industrial bases for kiwifruit, citrus, tea and other industries, and cultivated 30 leading enterprises at or above prefecture level.
In June 2021, recommended by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Alibaba Foundation and Yongshun County established a key assistance relationship for rural revitalization.
Now, 26 public welfare projects have been implemented, covering education, medical health, employment, e-commerce, industries and talent, with a total investment of about 40 million yuan, helping Yongshun County sell about 400 million yuan of agricultural products.
“We have made efforts to expand industrial chains and improve the added value of agricultural products by gathering upstream and downstream enterprises of agricultural product processing, cold chain logistics, e-commerce and others, so as to effectively promote industrial revitalization,” said Peng Xiuhong, director of the service center of the park.
The industrial park has introduced and cultivated 30 leading agricultural enterprises at or above the prefecture level such as Laodian Biotechnology, Wokang Oil Industry and Wanyuan Ecology.
It has built 12 new processing production lines and introduced Alibaba Group to build the first Cainiao production warehouse in Xiangxi, providing access for agricultural products to urban areas.
High-quality products such as kiwifruit and citrus produced in Yongshun County are distributed nationwide through the Cainiao cold chain, greatly reducing logistics costs. The brand effect of e-commerce platforms further drives the sales of agricultural products, with sales prices increasing by 30% to 45% year on year.
The display cabinet of Hunan Guole Agricultural Technology Company is filled with lily products such as lily powder, lily noodles, and lily tea.
“The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has contacted experts from universities to improve soil, and also helped to contact multiple sales platforms. Previously, lily products were purchased by merchants from other places without bargaining power for villagers. Now, we directly cooperate with large platforms to reduce intermediaries,” said the company’s head. In 2023, the company developed more than 3,000 mu (200 hectares) of lily planting bases and launched more than 10 deep processed lily products, with an annual output value of over 50 million yuan.
“The assistance team of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has expanded sales channels of Longshan Lily through online and offline platforms, and organized enterprises to participate in various exhibitions and live e-commerce activities. Through various methods like opening green channels and applying for national geographical indication certifications, it has reduced costs and increased efficiency for Longshan lily, making lily a major industry to promote rural revitalization,” said the secretary of Longshan County Committee.
Chinese source: hunantoday
