Sowing seeds of success

Sharing stability

The benefits of Yiligu's advanced farming methods, such as natural pest control that leverages environmental conditions like sunlight, soil and spacing of cultivation instead of pesticides, are felt clearly by producers and consumers, said agricultural specialist Chen Fuquan, 59, who trains local farmers.

"We are able to provide and maintain optimal planting conditions, which translate into tasty greens that can match the best in domestic and overseas markets," Chen said.

Sima Guixin, 59, tends to cucumbers, tomatoes and melons being cultivated at the base. The Jiashan farmer said production rises by at least 50 percent with the high-tech focus, which includes the computerized monitoring of crop fertilizers and irrigation he helps operate.

"The cucumbers we plant here are popular, sweeter and crunchier varieties that can sell for about 20 yuan a kilo, more than double the price of what I used to grow," he said. "Our honeydew melons here grow full and fast; we can get them to market fresher than those in other parts of the country."

Zhang Jiafei, 50, a farmer from Qingliang, a village in Jiashan's Yaozhuang township, cultivates at least five varieties of mushrooms, which are supplied to Yiligu and sold through its various channels. Orders are placed a day in advance, with about 500 kg of mushrooms delivered to the company daily, Zhang said.

"Under our contract, we adhere to pollution-free requirements with regulations on the amount and types of pesticides we can use," he said.

"The company regularly sends trainers to guide us in crop cultivation, sometimes twice in a two-week period. Mushroom varieties, those that sell well, are also recommended to us, and we can also learn about the latest agricultural technologies."

Zhang has since led the setup of a cooperative that covers five farming households on over 5.3 hectares. Cultivation on his own hectare has expanded to include peaches, tomatoes, eggplants and cucumbers.

"I used to sell yellow peaches, reaping an annual income of 3,000 yuan. Now I nearly make that amount in just a month."

Most important, cooperating with Yiligu means there is a "stable platform with sales guaranteed" through the company's distribution channels such as supermarkets, he said.

"We can reap 150,000 yuan in sales with more than 5 hectares of farmland in a month, which is not bad. We don't have to worry about selling the crops to the company; we can get the money in three weeks.

"For us farmers, we're very happy with the stable returns."