Chinese journalist chen shepard, lu zhikun, zhao yi of the state
In zongyi county, jiangxi province, the wild southern acid palm trees are not only an ecological barrier, but also an important pillar of increased revenue collection, business efficiency and tax increases for local farmers. As this..Speciality industriesThe central promoter, liu zhi gao, chairman of jiangxi ziyunshan food company limited, in an interview with the chinese business journal in recent days, described in detail how the company, which had a history of over 60 years, had been transformed from a state-owned factory nearing collapse into a national invisibility champion of the southern acid date food industry and had led to the emergence of a uniquely competitive local niche industry in the entire chong yi county. This year marks the 90th anniversary of the victory of the red army. How industry translates ecological advantages into economic advantages by producing “gold fruit” on red land。
Ziyunshan company, formerly a processing plant for the integrated use of wild plants in zhongyi county and a food processing plant in zong yi county, was created in 1958 as one of the oldest and oldest food industry enterprises in the region. After more than 30 years of deep cultivation, the enterprise has a market share of 34. 2 per cent in the processing of dates of southern acid throughout the country, with sales standing at the highest level in the country. To date, such a bitter wild fruit has become the “rich fruit” of the people here。
A manager's jedi survival
Nanicate palms are first a kind of family snack. The local population removes the spicy fruit from it, adding sweetly sweet snacks with sweet potatoes or sugar. In the hands of liu zhigau, this traditional practice has been gradually transformed into a modern, standardized food industry and eventually into the most representative local industry in zhong yi county。
This transition is not based on vision, but rather on choices driven by reality. In 1986, liu zhithian was the director of a food factory in chong yi county, which was also a state-owned enterprise at the time. After the reform and opening up, the food sector was completely liberalized and the “one-size-fits-all” state food plant lost its market competitiveness. “there is no way to find a way to live.” liu zhigau recalled. He and his team turned their eyes to wild fruit in the mountain of zhong yi and tried to process wild fruit, most of which ended in failure. In the end, the spicy date cakes emerged from many of the test products because of their unique taste and consumer approval。
“at first, it was like a civilian, but they did dozens of pounds a day, and we could do hundreds of pounds a day.” liu zhico said. From a purely manual point of view, the equipment for mechanization has been gradually improved, and it has taken more than 30 years for the enterprise to take a step forward and turn this private snack into a standardized, scalable modern food. Today, zhong yi has established more than 20 marketing offices throughout the country, with sales personnel accounting for one third of all employees in the enterprise and covering most of the provinces south of yangtze. Looking back at the entrepreneurial journey, liu ji-gau summed up his experience in one sentence: “products sell and industries survive. The market determines everything.” in his view, it was crucial to develop local-specific agricultural products by building on their strengths and creating competitive barriers that others could not replicate. During the difficult period of general transformation of that state-owned enterprise in the 1980s and 1990s, liu zhi goo led a small mountain factory to find its way out of the mountains. This entrepreneurial spirit, based on local resources and on the ground, remains a valuable asset for the development of the characteristic industries。
How an industry drives 4,000 farmers
The development of the southern acid date-palm industry has not only changed the fate of a pro-business enterprise, but has also profoundly affected the agricultural structure and income of farmers throughout the county. Liu zhiguo described the existing area of wild southern acid dates in chong yi county, with more than 260,000 acres of natural forest, combined with artificially planted orchards, which began to be promoted in the late 1990s, as having a total area of over 340,000 acres, or about 2. 07 million, in the county as a whole. An estimated 39,000 tons of south acid dates are produced annually throughout the county, and local processing enterprises purchase 15,000 to 16,000 tons a year。
Two main models have emerged in terms of boosting farmers ' incomes. Those who wake up early and pick up much more are the farmers who earn about $200 a day and do not need additional inputs into the costs of raising children. On the other hand, in the artificially grown sector, enterprises have signed a “three-pack” agreement with the farmers - the planting of seedlings, the contracting of technology, the purchase of packages, the provision of free seedlings and technical guidance, the cultivation of trees by the farmers according to green food standards, and the purchase of the output dates of southern acid by the enterprises at market prices. At present, there are more than 400 farmers under the “three-pack” agreement, with more than five acres being planted by single households. Businesses pay farmers more than $60 million a year, directly boosting the incomes of thousands of farmers. In addition, the local nanic date processing enterprises themselves provide relatively fixed employment of more than 600 people, combined with seasonal labour, which absorbs between 600 and 800 workers per year。
Of even greater concern is the objective role of the development of the southern acid date industry in preserving the ecology. Liu zhigau explained that the dates of southern acid were large leaves falling wood, that wood was beautifully gravitated and that it had been an important raw material for making handicrafts such as wood bowls. Before the late 1980s, a large number of dates of southern acid were cut off and sold. With the rise of the zong yi nancho date processing industry, the fruit produced annually by a large tree can generate sustained and stable income, and farmers no longer “feed chickens to get eggs” but protect wild southern acid date forests spontaneously. "the proceeds of the dates of nanic acid tied them to the trees." liu zhigau said. Zong yi county has classified the dates of southern acid as protected tree species at the end of the last century. In 2000, the state forestry administration awarded the title “the country of nantyu dated in china” to the zong yi county, which has so far been the only single county in the country to be honoured。
Digging the moat in a small breed
In the face of the future, the zonta nante-tree industry has opted for a restraining development strategy. Liu zhigo made it clear that in the next three to five years, businesses will not follow the diversification path and will continue to focus on the single item of poignant dates, even in the food sector. “the focus is on enriching the range of southern acid dates so that the variety of products can be increased and more consumer scenarios can be met.”
At present, local enterprises have developed products such as sanctuaries, sanctuaries and soybeans, and are also developing new products such as sanctuaries and tea. Enterprises are trying to match dates of southern acid with the raw materials of some medicinal diets and to develop products that combine oral and health functions. In terms of technological upgrading, enterprises have been intelligent in the selection, formulation, quantitative packaging and the introduction of simple robots for material transfer. However, liu chi-gau stated that there was still room for improvement in the overall level of intellectualization, which was being explored on an ongoing basis。
On the extension of the industrial chain, the zongyu nante dates industry is also advancing steadily. The fruit sheet produced by the process, which was completely abandoned in the past, is now dried up and used as feed formulations, using organic acids and single-nining substances in its use to assist in the development of the stomach and deworming of pigs. The kernel is extremely hard and is partly processed into the creation of handicrafts, bracelets, wind bells, etc., and partly used as boiler fuel, with even higher heat than coal. Liu zhigau indicated that the priority for future research and development was to increase value added by extracting acetone-based antioxidating substance from fruit skins for use in pharmaceutical or food feedstocks. “more than 340,000 acres of southern acid dates, nearly 40,000 tons of raw materials per year, a moat accumulated in 20 to 30 years, are difficult to achieve even if the capital is to enter the industry.” liu zhigau says。
From the depths of the mountain, where an invisible wild fruit sells more than $400 million in green industries that boost the incomes of thousands of farmers, the 30-year breakout road to zong yi nancho dates confirms the rationale that the development of local niche industries requires both firm-aware and long-term adherence to the market, as well as a positive cycle of industrial and ecological and farmer interests. In full progressRural revitalizationAt the moment, the nante date-palm industry in chong yi can no doubt provide a valuable sample。
Liu zhigo has clear expectations for the future. He told journalists that it was to be hoped that in the next three to five years, the area under the zonta nante dates would be further expanded and that more farmers would be involved in the industrial chain by signing a “three-pack” agreement. "we're not going to diversify, so we're going to do something deep." he said that it was hoped that more of the nante dates products adapted to different consumption scenarios would be developed and that the healthy snacks from the zonta mountains would be recognized and loved by more consumers. For the local population, nante dates have been transformed from wild fruit in the mountains into real “shaking money trees”. The purchase of more than $60 million a year gives thousands of farmers a steady cash income. Those wild southern acid-trees that were once subject to deforestation are now protected spontaneously by farmers because of their continued economic value, becoming a unique landscape between green and green mountains. The story of zong yuen nante dates continues。
