Pingnan's agriculture sector in transition

( chinadaily.com.cn )

Updated: 2015-08-03

Pingnan, an inland mountainous county in northeastern Fujian, yielded 300,000 tons of high-mountain vegetables worth over 500 million yuan ($80.48 million) in 2014.

High mountain vegetables, planted throughout an area of over 1,000 hectares, have lifted local farmers out of poverty and Pingnan has China's largest base for mountain vegetables.

However, "Plants such as cauliflower used to be very cheap and rotted in the fields, influenced by the weather and weak market demands," said farmer Tang Xingxiang.

How did the situation improve?

Pingnan allocates tens of millions of yuan every year since 2013 to support and encourage modern agriculture.

Local financial sectors offer working capital – at a maximum of 10 million yuan – to alleviate farmers' financial difficulties.

"We began to make the agricultural transition through industrialization and informatization last November to boost agricultural value," said Wu Zhide, president of Sky Farm, a leading agricultural company in Fujian province.

Fujian Huizelong Alcohol Company, famed for its Fujian-style yellow rice wine, urgently needed an industrial upgrading when preparing to go public. The county government, along with related departments, settled their problems, such as sewage treatment.