Sichuan Yingshan: A Flourishing of Agricultural Special Industries

Agriculture is the foundation of a nation and the cornerstone of a strong country. It is the "stabilizer" of the socio-economic structure.

In recent years, Yingshan County in Sichuan has been actively exploring new paths for the development of special industries while consolidating the dominant agricultural industries. Relying on cash crops such as ginger, citrus, and olive, as well as special aquatic products, the county has built a complete industrial chain integrating planting, breeding, processing, and sales, and has been committed to creating influential cultural and tourism brands. Today, the special agricultural industries in Yingshan County are booming, injecting strong momentum into the rural economy and driving the steady growth of the county's economy.

One Town, One Product Drives the Transformation of Traditional Industries

Xiao Tao, a villager from Changling Village in Shuangliu Town, Yingshan County, who works in Chengdu, was pleasantly surprised when she came across pickled ginger products from her hometown on the "Yingletao" e-commerce platform on April 23rd. The familiar taste of her hometown evoked strong nostalgia as she placed an order immediately.

The popularity of Shuangliu ginger is not only due to the emotional attachment of people from hometown but also its high quality. The warm and humid climate and fertile sandy soil of Shuangliu Town provide an ideal environment for ginger growth. Moreover, the ginger processing plant is located right next to the planting base, and the high-quality water source ensures the original taste and unique flavor of the products.

Shuangliu Town in Yingshan County is known as the "Ginger Town," where almost every household grows ginger. On April 26th, the author visited Changling Village and saw villagers busy with ridge building, sowing, and fertilizing. Their movements were skillful and efficient.

"This year, our village's collective economy has planted nearly 700 acres of ginger, all of which need to be sown before Start of Summer," said Huang Shuming, the village's Party branch secretary. Last year, Sichuan Ming Shu Food Co., Ltd. settled in Changling Village, purchasing local ginger and processing it into a series of pickled ginger products, which further ignited the villagers' enthusiasm for ginger cultivation.

Subsequently, the author followed Chen Chuan, the person in charge of Sichuan Ming Shu Food Co., Ltd., into the processing plant. There, ginger pickling tanks were neatly arranged in the workshop, with tender ginger pieces that made one's mouth water.

"These are just semi-finished products. Once the pickled ginger is ready, it can be made into ginger sauce or sweet and sour ginger with the addition of sauce or brown sugar and vinegar," Chen said. Tender ginger is used to make products like ginger sauce and sweet and sour ginger, while mature ginger is processed into ginger powder or used to extract ginger juice for health care products.

Chen revealed that since its establishment, the company has invited technical personnel from Chongqing Hongmandu Food Co., Ltd. to guide product development and production. After continuous "trial and error," the company is expected to achieve mass production this year. "Last year, the company purchased over 70,000 pounds of ginger from Shuangliu Town, and this year's demand will increase significantly."

This year, the company has adopted a "company + cooperative + farmer" model to purchase all ginger grown by the village's collective economy and has signed planting orders with local farmers.

In terms of expanding sales channels, Chen has also been very thoughtful. The company has successively reached cooperation agreements with Yingletao E-commerce Platform in Yingshan and Chongqing Hongmandu Food Co., Ltd., leveraging e-commerce to open up online sales. In addition, Chen has traveled extensively in the Sichuan-Chongqing region, actively promoting products at various sales platforms. Currently, the company has reached stable supply and marketing agreements with more than 30 dealers both within and outside the province.

Last year, the company's output value reached over 3 million yuan, creating employment and increasing income for local residents, with more than 100,000 yuan paid in wages. "With the leading role of the company, the reputation of Shuangliu ginger has grown, achieving a virtuous cycle of production, supply, and sales," said a person in charge of the Shuangliu Town government.

It is understood that Yingshan has been focusing on the development of special agricultural breeding and planting industries for many years, enhancing the brand influence of "one town, one product." Traditional agricultural special industries such as Shuangliu ginger, Mingde tea, and Huangdu orange are already well-known. In recent years, emerging special agricultural industries like Dongsheng olive and Xiaoqiao Polyscias have also gained a foothold in the market like rising stars.

Upgrading and Expanding Aquatic Products to Break into the Big Market

Recently, the "China Food E-commerce Festival & Pre-prepared Food Processing and Packaging Equipment Exhibition," known as the "No. 1 exhibition in China's food supply chain," was grandly inaugurated in Wuhan, Hubei. Sichuan Xinbei Food Co., Ltd. made a stunning appearance with its dumpling products such as fish and green onion, and fish and shrimp. With their unique flavor and high quality, these products quickly became the focus of the exhibition, winning the favor of dealers and consumers from all over the country.

According to Yang Changjun, the person in charge of Sichuan Xinbei Food Co., Ltd., the company has reaped significant benefits from the exhibition. In just a few days, more than 20 dealers from across the country visited Yingshan for inspection and negotiation, and signed agency and purchase agreements.

On April 26th, the author visited the production workshop of Sichuan Xinbei Food Co., Ltd., where several fully automatic production lines were operating efficiently. "Currently, our daily output can reach about 8 tons, mainly sold in the Sichuan-Chongqing region," Yang introduced. The exhibition has not only opened up a broader sales market for the company but also prompted an increase in production capacity.

It is understood that Yang Changjun established Nanchong Yingyu Aquaculture Technology Co., Ltd. years ago. To further extend and fill the gaps in the industrial chain and improve the layout of the aquaculture industry, he also founded Sichuan Xinbei Food Co., Ltd., focusing on the deep processing of fish products. Thus, a complete aquaculture chain integrating breeding, processing, and sales was established, filling the blank of refined processing of aquatic products in Yingshan and even the northeastern Sichuan region.

In the breeding base of Nanchong Yingyu Aquaculture Technology Co., Ltd., located in the core area of the modern rice-fish agriculture park in Yingshan, automatic oxygen-increasing equipment continuously creates white splashes. Nearby ponds are undergoing disinfection operations, preparing for the new round of fish fry launch.

Yang Changjun said that this year, his team independently developed a breeding wastewater treatment system. The feces of fish and shrimp in the high-position ponds are spun to the center of the pond bottom by the water flow and then collected into the decomposition bucket through the drainage system. After decomposition, the liquid flows into the biochemical treatment pool filled with biological fillers and planted with aquatic plants. Under the combined action of biological fillers and aquatic plants, impurities are adsorbed, and harmful substances such as ammonia nitrogen and nitrite are decomposed. After sedimentation and purification, the treated water can be reused in the ponds.

"This technology not only achieves the recycling of breeding water, reducing water consumption but also significantly saves the company's operating costs," Yang said.

In the breeding center of the base, workers were sprinkling nutrient solution into the breeding pools. According to the workers, they are breeding Pacific white shrimp. After the shrimp fry are introduced, they first undergo acclimatization to adapt to the low-salinity water environment. On-site, workers used a scoop net to catch the Pacific white shrimp. The translucent shrimp were less than 2 centimeters in length. "These shrimp fry were released ten days ago. They were only about 1 centimeter long and as small as a needle tip when they were released. In about 20 days of intensive breeding, they will be transferred to outdoor ponds," Yang revealed.

"This year, we plan to breed two to three batches of Pacific white shrimp. The first batch of about 5 million fry has been released and is expected to hit the market in July. The second batch will be released immediately after, and the third batch will be released around the Mid-Autumn Festival after the second batch is harvested," Yang said. This year, the company plans to release a total of 16 million Pacific white shrimp fry, with an estimated total output of 300,000 pounds.

Urban-Rural Integration Paves the Way for Integrated Development of Agriculture, Culture, Commerce, and Tourism

"Choose big and ripe strawberries, break them off from the stalk, and handle them gently..." In the Century Garden Strawberry Park in Dongsheng Town, Yingshan County, a unique labor practice activity is underway. Children from Yingshan County Experimental Kindergarten, under the patient guidance of staff from the "Double Practice" base, carefully pick the plump and bright red strawberries and place them gently into baskets.

The children then coat the freshly washed strawberries with a layer of glistening sugar syrup to make candied fruit skewers. When they taste the skewers they made themselves, they cheer and exclaim, "So delicious! These activities are so much fun!"

On April 25th, the author followed Deng Tao, the person in charge of the "Double Practice" base, to the core area of the base in Chaoyang Village, Dongsheng Town. Decorators were busily working on the buildings in the area. "The comprehensive building, dining center, teaching building, and dormitory building are all expected to be put into use by the end of August. At that time, they will be able to accommodate more than 2,000 students for study tours," Deng said.

In addition to study tour education, Yingshan County has also fully tapped into its rural tourism resources and developed a "flower economy." Every spring, places like Chaoyang Village in Dongsheng Town become a sea of flowers. In the modern grain and oil agriculture park of Yingshan County, the golden rape blossoms cover the hills and fields. With a gentle breeze, waves of flowers roll. The sunflowers along the rainbow path face the sun and bloom, like bright smiles. The various flowers in the village also compete to show their beauty. For a while, the town is filled with blooming flowers and tourists.

The beautiful rural scenery has fueled the local farmhouses. At Wenji Farmhouse in Chaoyang Village, diners sit in the courtyard, enjoying the tranquility of the countryside while savoring farmhouse delicacies. Wen Huadong, the person in charge of the farmhouse, said with a smile, "During the flowering season, our farmhouse can receive more than a thousand people a day. We have to prepare enough ingredients in advance every day. The dining hall is full at noon and night, and the busiest month, the farmhouse's income is close to 300,000 yuan."

The town government of Dongsheng seized the opportunity and introduced enterprises such as Oriental Century Garden and Green Collar Shared Farm to vigorously develop people-friendly and shared tourism. The countryside has been turned into the "back garden" of the city.

The neighboring Luoshi Town, with its unique geographical advantages, has developed a series of special cultural and tourism projects. According to Wang Bing, the Party secretary of Luoshi Town, the bamboo raft festival held in Shengshui Village this year received about 3,000 tourists, which greatly increased the village's collective income. In addition, the loquat picking festival held several times in Wenzu Village was also a great success. The sweet and juicy loquats were very popular with consumers and attracted many tourists to come and pick and buy.

"Relying on the mountains for food and the water for drink. Yingshan County has vigorously developed special agricultural industries, not only enriching the leisure life of urban residents and providing practical education platforms for students but also enhancing the influence of traditional agriculture, promoting the development of the rural economy, and helping farmers increase their income and become wealthy. By integrating various resources, the county has achieved resource sharing and complementary advantages between urban and rural areas, and has opened up new paths for rural revitalization and county economic development," said a person in charge of the Yingshan County Committee. (Li Ting, Guo Ming)