Fishery bolsters Xifeng's development

In recent years, Xifeng county in Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province, has developed its aquaculture based on local conditions and explored new models for fish farming.

In 2021, it was designated as a key county for the development of facility-based fisheries by the Guizhou Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

Xinglong village in Xifeng county has also built a base for the integrated cultivation of fish and lotus roots, covering an area of over 50 mu (3.33 hectares). Some 2,250 kilograms of large-sized fish fry and 10,000 small-sized fish fry were stocked in the base.

This marks the first year of economic benefits generated from the base. Farmers will receive a dividend of 10 percent of its income, and the village collective economy is expected to increase by over 50,000 yuan ($7,005) of incomes.

In the county's Xiaobao village, Zhai Bing, the person in charge of Guizhou Shuizhiyuan New Agriculture Technology Development Co, said: "Since we started fish farming in Xiaobao, not only have county and town technical personnel provided on-site services to address the technical challenges in the production process, but we have also successfully applied for special support funds, leading to the continuous expansion of the scale of local aquaculture."

This year, according to the support policies issued at the provincial level, Zhai successfully applied for a special fund of 4 million yuan for the improvement of production facility conditions from Xifeng department of agriculture and rural affairs, further bolstering the manager's confidence in the company's development.

As of now, the company's fish ponds cover an area of 30 mu, with an annual output of 500 metric tons of fish and an output value of 12 million yuan. The sturgeon, bred by the company, is mainly sold to aquatic wholesale markets and fresh supermarkets in Guiyang, as well as being sold in Chongqing, Yunnan province, Guangzhou, and other areas.

Meanwhile, the Xifeng Jiangshengyuan Ecological Agriculture Co, established in Laowo village, Xifeng, in 2019, has continuously expanded its scale and increased production.

Through a development model involving the "company + village collective + farmers," the company has driven the development of the village collective economy and raised farmers' incomes.

The company has bred 800,000 bass in total, with an annual marketable production of 300 tons and an annual output value of 9 million yuan.

Moving forward, aimed at driving market demand, the county will adopt a development model involving "enterprises + universities and research institutes + village collectives + farmers".

It will also intensify technical support and financial assistance efforts to promote the industrialization, scale, and standardization of local fisheries.