This year is the fifth year of the transition period for effectively connecting the results of consolidating and expanding the results of poverty alleviation and rural revitalization, and it is also a critical last year. As the material basis of rural revitalization, industrial revitalization is becoming a key tool for various places to promote rural development and increase farmers' income. From Gastrodia elata planting in Wumeng Mountains to crocodile breeding in Hainan, from the traditional Chinese medicinal materials industry in Northwest Medicine Township to the East China region to promote the integration of the three industries, each characteristic industry takes root and bears fruit in the countryside, which not only arouses farmers' "purse bags", but also activates new momentum for rural revitalization, drawing a new picture of strong agriculture, beautiful rural areas and rich farmers.

  Characteristic planting drives industrial value-added

  Planting Gastrodia elata makes Chen Wangui, who lives in Wumeng Mountains, have become more and more prosperous. In Daqiao Village, Xiaocaoba Town, Yiliang County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province, Chen Wangui is a famous large-scale Gastrodia elata grower. In 2024, his family bred more than 50,000 bags of Gastrodia elata and planted more than 20 mu of Gastrodia elata, with an output value of more than 600,000 yuan.

  "As long as you plant it with your heart, this Gastrodia elata is the 'golden lump' of our people in the mountains." Not only did he get rich by himself, Chen Wangui also led more than 10 villagers around him to work at the Gastrodia elata base, with an annual per capita income of more than 10,000 yuan. Villager Chen Falong said that the scale of Gastrodia elata planting in the village has steadily expanded.

  Since the 1970s and 1980s, Zhaotong has begun to explore imitation wild planting under the Gastrodia elata forest, and now it has achieved the development of the entire industrial chain such as seed breeding, standardized planting, deep processing, and brand marketing. It has also become the origin of Gastrodia elata in the world, and is the core area of ​​high-quality Gastrodia elata cultivation in the country. It has the reputation of "China's Gastrodia elata hometown".

  As the core production area of ​​Zhaotong’s Gastrodia elata industry, more than 15,000 households and more than 70,000 people in 11 townships and 65 villages in Yiliang County have grown Gastrodia elata. In recent years, Yiliang County has built a Gastrodia elata science and technology demonstration park, formulated technical regulations for Gastrodia elata production, continuously introduced and cultivated leading Gastrodia elata enterprises, and focused on building a "national high-quality Gastrodia elata industrial base".

  "Gasum marijuana has become a 'golden ingot' for the people to increase their income and become rich." Zhang Xin, the mayor of Qiaoshan Town, Yiliang County, introduced that Qiaoshan Town has developed 10,000 mu of Gastrodia elata, and 3,996 households and more than 17,500 people in the town have signed interest linkage agreements with 22 cooperatives and companies, effectively driving farmers' income growth.

  Yiliang County continues to improve the interest linkage mechanism of Gastrodia elata industry and actively explores diversified cooperation development models. Zheng Lei, deputy director of the Standing Committee of the Zhaotong Municipal People's Congress and secretary of the Yiliang County Party Committee, said that at present, 438 leading enterprises, cooperatives and other business entities in the county cooperate with more than 5,200 farmers, driving more than 21,000 people to find jobs nearby each year, and the per capita income increased by more than 13,000 yuan.

  "The Gastrodia elata industry has formed a complete industrial chain, driving employment for a large number of people and injecting surging momentum into rural revitalization." Luo Guanghua, director of the Zhaotong Municipal Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau, said that in 2024, Zhaotong City planted 115,700 mu of Gastrodia elata, accounting for 85% of Yunnan Province, with a output of 58,200 tons and a comprehensive output value of 9.391 billion yuan.

  In Min County, Dingxi City, Gansu Province, which is located in the northwest region, the characteristic planting industry is also booming. It has a high altitude and a cool climate. It is the main production area of ​​Chinese medicinal materials such as Angelica sinensis, Codonopsis and Astragalus. In recent years, the local area has focused on seedling breeding, processing and sales of traditional Chinese medicinal materials, and has continuously promoted the quality and upgrading of the traditional Chinese medicinal materials industry.

  The traditional Chinese medicinal materials industry has become a pillar industry for Minxian to strengthen the county and enrich the people. Pu Shuwei, director of Minxian Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau, introduced that Minxian has basically built a full industrial chain of Chinese medicinal materials, mainly integrating seedling breeding, standardized planting, processing of Chinese medicinal materials, production of Chinese patent medicines, and e-commerce sales. More than 65,000 farmers participated in the cultivation, purchase, sales and processing of traditional Chinese medicinal materials in the county, and the income of traditional Chinese medicinal materials accounts for more than 60% of the per capita disposable income of farmers in the county; the county has more than 300,000 tons of traditional Chinese medicinal materials annually, with a processing output value of more than 18 billion yuan.

  Specialty breeding opens up new paths to wealth

  In the Crocodile Garden in Sanjia Town, Dongfang City, Hainan Province, tourists stroll on the glass plank road, Siamese crocodile, Nile crocodile, and Bay crocodile are basking in the sun lazily, and the staff feeding food instantly "activate" wildness. This attraction is located in a village, but it attracts tourists from all over the world to come and explore.

  Who would have thought that these once daunting "water overlords" have now become the "golden key" for local villagers to get rich.

  Before entering Dongfang City, the company's predecessor had been engaged in the research and development and production of crocodile products for many years. In order to expand production scale and ensure stable supply of raw materials, the company decided to invest in the construction of a breeding base. After many inspections, the company was established in Hongcao Village, Sanjia Town in 2019.

  "The climate here is warm, sunshine is sufficient, and rainfall is less, which is very suitable for crocodile growth, and the commercial fish breeding cycle is significantly shortened." Hu Yun, the company's administrative director, introduced that the company has designed and built various types of standardized breeding ponds and continuously optimized artificial incubation and breeding technologies. The company's efficiency continues to improve, with an annual output value exceeding 140 million yuan.

  Zhang Shiban, a villager from Hongcao Village, took the lead in renting the land to a breeding enterprise. He went to the enterprise to work and learn technology. He also built a crocodile breeding base in 2017, and now he has become a major crocodile breeding farmer. "Last year, our family's income was more than 3 million yuan, and it also led more than 10 villagers to breed together to increase their income." He said that they signed an agreement with the company, and the company provided fish fry, feed, and technology, and the breeders provided breeding pools and managed them. After reaching the predetermined weight, the company acquired it at the contract price.

  Walking into Hongcao Village, the beautiful and tidy village appearance is impressive. Before 2015, buildings were almost impossible to see in the village. Thanks to the crocodile industry, villagers have built more than 200 buildings in recent years. Today, Sanjia Town has built the largest crocodile breeding base in the country, with the output value of the entire crocodile industry chain reaching 677 million yuan. The local area has introduced 47 breeding enterprises, with a crocodile stock of 400,000, and the production of crocodile seedlings accounts for more than half of the national market share.

  How can a crocodile "swim out" the entire industrial chain? The whole body of the crocodile is full of treasures, which can be seen in the crocodile product exhibition and sales area: there are hundreds of products such as leather goods, protein and peptide products, and tourists stop to consult and purchase. In the restaurant next to the exhibition hall, crocodile dishes also attract some curious diners to "taste boldly".

  Yu Zhilin, president of Hainan Crocodile Industry Technology Co., Ltd., introduced that the company is further extending its industrial chain and building a crocodile deep processing industrial park, an industrial research institute and a crocodile science popularization museum. At the same time, we have jointly conducted research and tap into the medicinal potential of crocodiles and planned to develop healthy products.

  From breeding, processing to cultural tourism, "a crocodile" injects new vitality into rural revitalization. Dongfang City plans to focus on Hongcao Village, Sanjia Town, promote the upgrading of the entire chain of crocodile industry, and create a full crocodile industry chain integrating crocodile breeding, crocodile deep processing, cold chain logistics and crocodile trade, special cultural and creative, theme tourism, study and training.

  The integration of the three industries releases resource benefits

  In Baimiao Village, Shipei Town, Quanjiao County, Chuzhou City, Anhui Province, Ji Chengjun, a poverty-stricken household, carefully managed more than 80 thin-shelled hickory trees he planted. He said: "In the past two years, young trees gradually bear fruit. Last year, they harvested more than 100 kilograms and made nearly 2,000 yuan. In the future, the output will increase year by year, and the 'poverty alleviation tree' has really become a 'money tree'."

  Thin-shelled pecans, also known as pecans, are native to North America and are a popular and delicious nut with a broad market prospect. In 2016, as an assistance unit, the local forestry department provided thin-shelled hickory seedlings to the poor households in Baimiao Village at that time to help their industries get rid of poverty.

  During the five-year transition period when consolidating and expanding the results of poverty alleviation and effectively connecting with rural revitalization, thin-shelled hickory trees have achieved a transformation from nothing to something and from sporadic to large-scale seeds in Baimiao Village.

  Cao Youhai, secretary of the Party Branch of Baimiao Village, introduced that in 2021, Anhui Taihe Forestry Development Co., Ltd. transferred more than 3,500 acres of mountain farms in the village and implemented low-yield forest transformation. The once inefficient pine coniferous forest has become a thin-shelled pecan meridian fruit forest. Baimiao Village realizes a fixed income of 100,000 yuan every year when the Guangshan Field is transferred in Baimiao Village.

  At the original pecan base of Anhui Taihe Forestry Development Co., Ltd., workers are operating drones and spraying machines to control the newly budding pecan trees. Zhang Zongyao, chairman of the company, said that currently hundreds of employees in the six branches are on duty, "escorting" the new season of production.

  Primary planting has led many local farmers to find employment at home. Yang Changhua, who lives in Shipei Town, has been working at the Pegenguo Base in recent years. He said: "I drive an agricultural machinery here to harvest pecan fruit. My salary is 150 yuan a day. It is close to home. It can not only take care of the family, but also increase the income."

  This "one tree" is taking deep roots in Shipei Town. The cumulative scale of the pecan fruit industry in Shipei Town has reached 15,000 mu. At present, the annual output of pecan fruit in the town can reach 300 tons, with an output value of 12 million yuan, and an annual labor income of 3.2 million yuan.

  In Zhang Zongyao's view, the pecan fruit industry is a "cultivation-style" industry. The company's current secondary industry mainly conducts the primary processing of raw materials such as drying, sorting, and grading. "In the fruit-bearing period, we will launch a deep processing production line. At the same time, combining the location advantages of Quanjiao's location between Nanjing and Hefei, we will develop under-forest ecological study and tourism, so that the resource benefits can be fully utilized."

  In recent years, Quanjiao County has formulated a pecan industry development plan for the reform of the collective forest rights system and focused on building a pecan characteristic industrial cluster. Currently, the area of ​​pecan fruit planting in the county is 94,000 mu, and has been approved as the "National Whole Pepper Thin-Check Pecan Industry Demonstration Park".

  At present, Quanjiao County, on the one hand, plays a role in leveraging fiscal funds. For those who plant more than 100 mu of continuous plants, a subsidy of 3,000 yuan per mu will be subsidized in 6 years. The finance has issued a total of 180 million yuan in reward and subsidy funds; on the other hand, it strengthens variety improvement and back-end product research, cooperates with scientific research institutions, and carries out technical research on high yield cultivation, pest control and other diseases, and provides scientific and technological support for industrial development. (Reporter Lin Bifeng, Luo Jiangshui, Jinchen, Wang Peng)

[Editor in charge: Wang Mengmeng]