Farmer in Zhejiang contributes to common prosperity by developing fruit and vegetable cooperative

Xin Hongquan, a farmer in east China's Zhejiang Province, has brought wealth to local villagers by developing a fruit and vegetable cooperative, with its annual output value now exceeding 100 million yuan (about $15.74 million).

Photo shows Xin Hongquan (second from the right) at a planting base. (Photo courtesy of Zhejiang Open University)

Established in 2005, Xin’s cooperative has over 7,780 mu (about 518.7 hectares) of land and about 140 employees. He has succeeded in interplanting watermelon with celtuce, having later introduced this agricultural mode of production to local farmers, and which has already been applied to more than 20,000 mu of land, a venture that has proved most profitable for locals.

Equipped with a smart irrigation system, the greenhouses in the vegetable planting base of this cooperative are brimming with vitality, which stands in stark contrast with the damp cold winter outside. “The temperature inside the greenhouse is about 20 degrees Celsius, 10 degrees Celsius higher than the temperature outside,” Xin said. “Celtuce is planted during this season, which will be soon be followed by watermelons,” he added.

In addition, his planting base has selected some new species out of about 40 varieties for farmers to grow every year, which also ensures the health of the plants for growers. Xin also suggested farmers try to sell their farm produce on livestreaming sessions.

Xin started his career as a farmer in 1997 when he retired from the army. “Due to a lack of knowledge on growing melons, we encountered many difficulties in the early stage,” said Feng Yunfen, Xin’s wife. “Then he searched for relevant information, asked experts for help, and tried again and again in the greenhouse,” she added. At the same time, the couple also attended the Zhejiang Open University to learn marketing in a bid to open up more sales channels.