At present, the barley in the snowy plateau of western Sichuan has entered the harvest season. On September 7, Zerang Lanmujian, a villager from Tara Village, Longzang Township, Aba County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, did not rush to his own field, but went to the Qingli Modern Agricultural Park in Aba County, two or three kilometers away from his home, to earn a high salary, "one or two hundred yuan a day." ”
In fact, not only to make money, Zerang Lanmujian and several other villagers also have a selfish intention - to learn high-yield barley technology. How to learn?" Forge a strong community, China is a family", and the research and interview group of "Snowy Plateau Rejuvenation" also came to the park to find out.
Villagers harvest barley in the experimental field. Photo by Wang Pan
It turned out that the field that Zeranglan Mujian went to harvest that day was a test field set up by Sichuan Agricultural University in the park. As the main production area of highland barley, Aba County attaches great importance to the development of highland barley industry, and Feng Zongyun, a professor at Sichuan Agricultural University, chose the experimental field here. From the breeding of barley varieties to the cultivation and harvesting technology, it is all within the scope of research.
When they first arrived in Aba County to start scientific research, Feng Zongyun's team also attracted confusion and even doubts from local villagers because the cultivation methods and sowing time were different from the local traditional methods.
In the words of Chen Zongrun, a member of the Party Committee of the Aba County Science, Technology, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Water Affairs Bureau and full-time deputy director of the Agricultural Office of the county party committee, in the past, the villagers engaged in "three-day agriculture": "One day ploughing the land, one day sowing, one day harvesting, there is no field management in the middle, and they completely rely on the weather for food." The yield is very low, and there is no surplus food except for self-consumption. ”
Feng Zongyun firmly believes that there is only one way to change the concept of villagers - demonstration. The meticulous management of the experimental plots, coupled with the adoption of new varieties of highland barley and various modern farming methods in the agricultural park, the villagers who work here have witnessed the changes brought about by agricultural modernization. It is clear which is better and which is inferior.
Feng Zongyun researches new varieties of highland barley in the field. Photo by Wang Pan
Whether the land is suitable for deep or shallow tillage, what is the sowing row spacing, and when is the sowing time for different barley varieties...... These scientific planting methods have been taught by the research teams of Sichuan Agricultural University and the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences, as well as the agricultural park. As a result, the villagers found that they still had surplus food to sell, and their attitudes changed.
The Tibetan people often pay their respects by offering hata. "I have received more than 100 hada in Aba County." To Feng Zongyun's gratification, while helping the villagers, the park has also been successfully established as a provincial 5-star agricultural park with the joint efforts of all parties.
In Chen Zongrun's view, it was difficult to see barley and its products in foreign markets in the past, and the main reason was the low yield. However, with the increase in the county's barley production, this plateau specialty, which is rich in protein, vitamin B and other nutrients, should not be buried.
The opportunity to "co-cultivate" the barley industry has arrived.
Highland barley series products. Photo by Wang Pan
Seeing the improvement of the yield and quality of highland barley in his hometown, Ozhou, who originally did research and development of highland barley products in Dujiangyan City, returned to his hometown in 2020 and founded Aba County Plateau Black Highland Barley Biological Development Co., Ltd. "We are close to buying raw materials, and the villagers can sell them at a better price at their doorstep. In addition, employees work closer to home and are more stable, which is also conducive to the development of the company. O'Chou said.
The company mainly produces black barley cakes and black barley milk tea. When a company is start-up, employees can only rely on loans for their salaries. But in recent years, the company's sales have grown at a rate of 20 to 30 percent every year. In 2023, sales will reach 15 million yuan. "Russia Zhou believes that from the company's revenue data, highland barley products have broad market prospects.
The monthly salary ranges from 3,000 yuan to more than 6,000 yuan, and the monthly salary of Hua Bai, the company's financial director, has also increased with the growth of the company's performance, "The company has 35 employees, all of whom are local villagers. In the peak season, the monthly salary can reach four or five thousand yuan. ”
Production of black barley cake. Photo by Wang Pan
At present, relevant enterprises in Aba County have developed 31 series of highland barley products such as black barley cake, black highland barley milk tea, and highland barley wine. Through online and offline sales, counterpart support and consumption assistance, Aba County's highland barley products have been exported to Zhejiang, Beijing, Shanghai and other places. In 2023, the sales of highland barley products will exceed 35 million yuan.
Chen Zongrun firmly believes that the highland barley "co-cultivated" by many parties in Aba County will continue to grow vigorously. Feng Zongyun also hopes that the excellent barley varieties cultivated in Aba County can be sown farther away to help more people increase production and income.