Huaxi strawberry-growing industry helps farmers increase incomes

Villagers work at the "Huaxiaomei" plantation in Huaxi district. [Photo/huaxi.gov.cn]

Workers are currently in the process of building the "Huaxiaomei" Jiuan Ecological Strawberry Plantation in Huaxi district, Guiyang, Southwest China's Guizhou province.

The plantation is being jointly built by Guiyang Zhunan Trading Co and Jiuan township.

"We have concentrated more than 200 mu (13.33 hectares) of land in the villages of Datong and Xuechang in Jiuan, and built modern greenhouses to develop the strawberry industry. The seedling task is expected to be fully completed by the end of October, and the first batch of strawberries will hit the market in early December," said Liao Chengcheng, director of the Jiuan Township Agricultural Service Center.

In the future, the plantation will also build a digital strawberry exhibition center, integrating growing, research and education, picking, catering, homestays, cultural entertainment, and more.

The ecological strawberry plantation demonstrates Huaxi district's creation of the special agricultural product "Huaxiaomei" with geographical indication significance.

In recent years, Huaxi district has improved the standards, quality, branding, and safety of the strawberry industry, and has established a whole-industrial chain development system for growing, processing, and sales to improve the quality of the strawberry industry.

To achieve automation, the district government has joined forces with Guizhou University and Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences to deepen strategic cooperation in the breeding and tissue culture of "Huaxiaomei" seedlings, and established 100 mu of standardized strawberry seedling breeding area.

The plantation is the first strawberry seedling research, development, and multiplication base. Through technical measures such as detoxification, tissue culture, purification, and rejuvenation, it has achieved independent research and development and cultivated the "Huaxiaomei" series of strawberry seedlings.

To standardize the growing of strawberries, the district has built a 200-mu high-standard strawberry plantation in Datong village through the industrialized "company + cooperative + farmer" operation model based on organic high-end and integrated development of agriculture and tourism.

In addition, Huaxi district, through brand planning, designed and released the Huaxi strawberry public brand "Huaxiaomei", held the first Huaxi Strawberry Picking Festival to enhance its brand influence, invested special financial funds, optimized the environment of strawberry plantations, and enhanced the overall image of the Huaxi strawberry brand.

Huaxi has also cooperated with the Guizhou Academy of Sciences to carry out the quality inspection and monitoring of "Huaxiaomei" branded strawberries. It has established and improved strawberry planting standards and a quality and safety tracing system.

In order to ensure that the strawberries sell well, the Huaxi district agriculture and rural affairs bureau has reached cooperation with enterprises to establish high-end sales channels, combined farmhouses, folklore, leisure, and entertainment and fresh strawberry picking, and broadened the online sales channels for strawberries.

"This year, the district has planted a total of 3,000 mu of strawberries, helping more than 150 farmers, with an estimated output of 4,500 metric tons and an output value of 250 million yuan ($39.07 million)," said Li Zhenyu, director of the Huaxi agriculture and rural affairs bureau.