May is the peak blooming period of roses, and the Damascus rose planting base in Shizhuang Village, Hai'an Economic and Technological Development Zone, is filled with a unique fragrance of roses, which is refreshing. The pickers shuttled through the sea of flowers, busy picking roses with dewdrops, and their faces were filled with the joy of a good harvest.
Damascus roses are widely cultivated to extract rose essential oil because of their pure, delicate floral fragrance. In 2020, the "two committees" team of Shizhuang Village conducted in-depth research and found that the economic benefits and market prospects of roses were very good, and decisively developed 70 acres of rose planting. By going out to learn technology, hiring professional guidance, improving the planting technology of traditional roses according to local conditions, and improving the quality of roses, the products have not only achieved high benefits through e-commerce platform sales, but also become local "fist" products.
Through the development of the rose industry, Shizhuang Village has realized the employment of local residents at their doorsteps, opening up a way for the villagers to increase their income and get rich. Since the half-opened roses are not exposed to sunlight and nutrients such as anthocyanins and essential oils remain intact, the best time to pick them is at night. The villagers said that under good picking conditions, they can pick up to more than 100 catties of roses a day and earn 150 yuan.
The planting of Damascus roses not only led to the income of more than 60 villagers in the surrounding areas, but also brought about 150,000 yuan of income to the village collective economy. "This year's peak flowering period began on May 5 and is expected to last until May 18, and the yield per mu will increase by 200 catties on the basis of last year to 800 to 1,000 catties." According to the person in charge of Shizhuang Village, at present, roses are mainly sold as flowers, and after the flowers are sold out, a series of products such as rose hydrosol and rose tea will also be produced. "The village has introduced purification and drying equipment, and has accumulated mature planting and product production experience, which can realize picking, sorting, processing, purification and packaging localized production."
In recent years, the development zone has always taken the development of characteristic industries as an effective way to increase farmers' income and increase agricultural efficiency, intensified the adjustment of the agricultural industrial structure, found a way out on the word "special" and made a fuss on the word "special", developed the characteristic planting industry, and enabled the villagers to embark on the road to prosperity.