By Zhang Wencheng
"If you plant a mu of mulberry, you don't have to worry about daily necessities." is a common saying among the villagers in Xinzhai Village, Yuezhe Town, Qiubei County, which vividly shows the local people's dependence on the silkworm industry. In recent years, Hongkou actively organized enterprises to Qiubei County for in-depth survey, discussed the industrial development mode with the local government, made great efforts to promote the silkworm industry, boost the targeted poverty alleviation. It has achieved a lot.
Average Household Income Has Increased by RMB16,000
Qiubei County, located in the southeast of Yunnan Province, is widely known for its beautiful scenery of Puzhehei in recent years, attracting a large number of tourists. On the red land full of vitality, Hongkou's concept of getting rid of real poverty is also deeply rooted in it. In 2017, the development fund of mulberry planting and sericulture industry in Yuezhe Town was supported by Hongkou. The amount of mulberry planting increased from 600 mu to 1,700 mu, and the number of silkworm farmers rose from 35 to 87 households.
Bi Yunhai, a 51-year-old villager, has turned his attic into a silkworm rearing area. There are plates of silkworms on the wooden shelves. The fat and white silkworms are busy eating mulberry leaves on the neatly arranged plates on the wooden shelves, making a "rustling" sound. In order to feed the silkworms well for growth, Bi Yunhai regularly feeds the silkworms mulberry leaves, disinfects and sterilizes, and pays attention to changes of ambient temperature and humidity. He says that in the past, in the case of planting corn at home, he could only earn RMB1,000 per mu, and he could not earn much even if he worked at the construction site. Now, he only needs to take silkworm seedlings from the cooperatives, raise them for a period of time, and then sell the grown silkworms or cocooned pupae to the cooperatives, so that he can earn between RMB6,000 and RMB7,000. Just as the saying goes: "Planting of mulberry in density and simple rearing of silkworms, cash can be got in 25 days".
It is learned that in recent years, the village committee in Xinzhai Village, Yuezhe Town, Qiubei County and others have spared no efforts to develop the mulberry planting and sericulture industry, achieving an annual output of more than 800 tons of fresh cocoons with an output value of more than RMB6.4 million, and the annual production of more than 8,000 small commercial silkworm with an output value of more than RMB3 million, driving the average households income of mulberry planting and sericulture to increase by RMB16,000.
Newly Building Sericulture House by 2,000 Square Meters
Two towns including Yuezhe Town and Shuanglongying Town, Qiubei County has built the production mode of "cooperatives + bases + farmers", which has developed more than 1,800 members. The cooperatives are mainly responsible for providing the breeding technology, product recycling and absorbing poor households to work, so as to drive the poor households to obtain incomes.
Ma Huaihua, head of Qiubei Hongxin Planting and Breeding Farmers Professional Cooperative, introduces: "The cooperative raises for 10 days, and the common people raise for 18 days. The total income is collected for every 40 days. The income of the common people is good. Even children can help to earn some pocket money. The registered farmers can rear silkworms by themselves and increase their income. They don't have to go out to work. They can manage working hours to earn money and take care of their families.”
For the advantages of short time and quick effect, mulberry planting and sericulture has become an important support for Qiubei's economy. He Zhichun, a cadre aiding Yunnan and deputy county head of Qiubei County, Wenshan Prefecture, Yunnan Province, says that the next step is to further strengthen the research on industrial development. Through more industrial assistance, more people, including farmers who have got out of poverty, can participate in the industrial development. By participating in the industrial development, income can be increased, and the whole poverty alleviation effect can be stabilized and consolidated.
At present, the silkworm industry in Qiubei County is embracing the modern breeding mode. This year, the total investment in mulberry planting and sericulture projects of Xinzhai Village, Yuezhe Village and Damoshan Village Committees from Shanghai reached RMB2.13 million. It is planned to plant 60 mu of mulberry trees, build 2,000 square meters of sericulture houses, and further improve relevant supporting facilities.