Frog-rice project helps village jump ahead

Ru Jianliang, vice-chairman of the association for science and technology in Changxing, said the combined cultivation of rice and black-spotted frogs is symbiotic: the fields serve as feeding grounds for the frogs, who eat pests. In turn, the frogs' feces helps fertilize the fields so the rice can grow.

"The model aims to curb the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. It reduces the cost of pest control by 110 yuan per mu ($235 per hectare) and the cost of chemical fertilizer by 80 yuan per mu ($171 per hectare)," Ru said.

Ru added that the yield of both the frogs and the rice can amount to more than 7,500 kilograms per hectare, and that the revenue per hectare can reach about 159,000 yuan "which is much higher than that of conventional rice planting".

Wu said: "To meet the challenges of the fast-growing market, science and technology, the company has made more of an investment in the research and development of digital production and management systems, as well as in the deep processing of agricultural products. We are now fully prepared for the further development of modern ecological agriculture."

Fang Xiaoying contributed to this story.