Hainan banana farmer's ambition leads to thriving plantation, better incomes

HAIKOU－At the break of dawn, Wang Hai pushed open his door and walked out into the banana fields to check the plants.

"I usually walk the fields for three to four hours a day," the 60-year-old said.

Wang is the manager of the Longhan banana plantation base in Lingao county, in South China's Hainan province. He looks after approximately 67 hectares of plantations and has reaped solid profits over the past few years through hard work.

"Life is so much better now," he said.

Wang's career is flourishing as China pushes forward with rural vitalization efforts.

China unveiled its annual No 1 Central Document on Feb 22, highlighting efforts to stabilize and increase agricultural production and steadily raise farmers' incomes.

Wang's first foray into the tropical fruit industry was as a security guard. In the past, he and his fellow villagers would make ends meet by planting rice and sugar cane.

"Life was hard back then. I used to live in a windowless house," he said.

In 2000, an ecological farming company came to the village to set up banana plantations. Wang seized the opportunity and applied for the security guard position.

"My responsibilities included looking after the banana trees, preventing cattle from damaging the plantation and ensuring that villagers did not enter," he said.

While the job provided a steady income, it fell short of his ambition, which was to learn about banana farming.

"When I patrolled the fields, I would watch how the workers fertilized the fields," Wang said. "I learned how much fertilizer each banana plant required and when to fertilize them."

He would take notes and learn techniques. Soon, he mastered the skills needed for banana farming.

After a few years, the company head recognized Wang's potential and appointed him manager of a small patch of the plantation. Wang was in charge of everything from farming to electricity and irrigation.

Thanks to the skills he had gained, his first batch of trees bore more than 350 kilograms per hectare, much higher than the average output in previous years.

"It was quite impressive, and my boss transferred me to work on larger fields," he said.

With the money he earned, Wang built a new house and bought cars for his family.

But his career was not all smooth sailing. In 2010, a typhoon completely destroyed the plantation, leaving him devastated.

"I did not know what to do at the time, I was at a complete loss," Wang said, adding that it was the encouragement of his staff that gave him hope. "Life goes on no matter what happens."

The natural disaster was a blessing in disguise, as it taught him to better prepare for future calamities by trimming the leaves of banana plants to mitigate problems.

Wang currently employs 18 workers, all of them local villagers. They can earn up to $20,000 a year, much more than what they would earn planting rice or sugar cane.

Wang is now hatching bigger plans for his farming career. "We plan to grow more tropical fruits, like pineapples, which have high economic value."

He said that in the days to come, people in the region will continue to enjoy greater prosperity.

Xinhua