The local cooperative has developed the dragon fruit planting into a pillar industry for villagers to become rich by changing the traditional planting methods and creating modern new forms.

 

In the planting base, the vines are intertwined with each other, and many pitayas hang on the branches. Farmers are busy picking and transporting.

 

In order to deliver goods to customers, Lei Yicai, head of the cooperative, came to the base early in the morning to pick pitayas, and within a few minutes, he picked a large bucket.

 

The base mainly grows a new pitaya variety called Siji Honey. At present, the planting area covers over 100 mu (about 6.67 hectares), and all of them are planted in greenhouses.

 

 

In 2015, Lei Tongqing, Lei Yicai’s son, contracted wasteland in the village to develop the pitaya industry in order to develop rural tourism. He went to Hainan, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou and other provinces to learn management experience from professionals. In 2018, after deciding on the pitaya variety, he began to plant it in his own greenhouse.

 

“Many pitaya varieties in China need hand-pollination, but it’s very expensive. Siji Honey does not need hand-pollination, and it has a heavy rose fragrance. It is sweet and crunchy. It also has a good yield.” Lei Tongqing said that in 2018, with the successful trial planting in the base, he began to expand the scale of planting.

 

As a tropical fruit, the stable temperature has a great impact on the growth of pitayas. In order to further improve the quality of the fruits, Lei Tongqing equipped the base with drip irrigation, sprinkler irrigation, thermostatic lamps and others in 2019.

 

After years of meticulous management, the pitayas in the base began to generate income in 2021, with an annual yield of more than 2,500-3,000 kilograms per mu (about 0.07 hectares).

 

 

Due to the high temperature, sufficient sunlight, and suitable growth conditions this summer, the expected yield can reach 150,000 kilograms. According to the current market price, the net profit is about one million yuan.

 

Lei Tongqing said that the pitayas in the base blooms in June, and the first batch will be sold in the middle of July, so there will be pitayas sold every month from July to January of the next year.

 

Now the cooperative has established a fixed cooperative relationship with a supermarket in Changsha.

 

In recent years, the cooperative occasionally has gone out to learn advanced technology and experience and contracted more than 700 mu (46.67 hectares) of land to vigorously develop the planting of pitayas, golden pomelos and other characteristic fruits.

 

Meanwhile, farmers are encouraged to plant pitayas. Every year, more than 100 local villagers are actually offered jobs, and the per capita annual income of local farmers increases by nearly 4,000 yuan.

 

“Because we are technically mature, and in the future, I can provide seedlings and technical guidance for those villagers in our village and the surrounding villages who are interested. When one household grows around two to three mu (about 0.13 to 0.2 hectares) of dragon fruits, they can earn 50,000 to 60,000 yuan per year,” said Lei Tongqing.

 

The farmers can not only harvest the red dragon fruits, but also make their lives better through their hard work.