GUIYANG, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Yao Dongying had never heard about passion fruit until her county started to promote the plantation of this tropical fruit in 2019.

The 59-year-old ethnic Miao woman didn't expect that the small, sweet and seedy fruit could make such a difference in her life.

Yao lives in Pingjiang Town of Rongjiang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province. The county has a population of 372,000, out of which more than 80 percent are people from the Miao and Dong ethnic groups.

Rongjiang County started passion fruit plantation two years ago, when locals were mobilized to participate in the emerging industry.

"I work at a planting base. I'm paid 130 yuan (about 20 U.S. dollars) per day. In half a month, I can earn around 2,000 yuan," said Yao, adding that women like her hardly had a source of income in the past.

"We used to grow crops and raise pigs or cattle, which didn't bring much income all year round. Nowadays, by working at the base I can earn more in a month than I did in a year," she said.

In Pingjiang Town alone, there are more than 233 hectares of passion fruit, while across Rongjiang County, the crop is grown over 2,800 hectares.

"We have five planting bases in the town. Over 100 people work at one base every day, and most of them are women from ethnic groups," said Wei Aicai, chairman of a passion fruit plantation company contracting for the five bases, adding the industry offers employment opportunities to locals and helps improve the economy in the ethnic minority-populated area.

"People from ethnic groups were engaged in traditional farm work in the past, but the introduction of the passion fruit industry has gradually changed their attitude and thought. Therefore, they are willing to fight for a better life through hard work," Wei added.

Over the past few years, more than 30 enterprises have been introduced and over 70 cooperatives established to push forward the development of passion fruit industry in Rongjiang, with over 1,500 rural households participating.

In 2020, the industry created nearly 80,000 jobs and over 9.5 million yuan were paid to workers.

Yang Shengzuo, deputy director of the standing committee of the people's congress of Rongjiang, said that the natural, geographical and climatic conditions in Rongjiang are favorable for the growth of passion fruit. Produce from the county is in demand in the market.

"The county strives to expand the passion fruit industry and there is a plan to increase the plantation area to 13,333 hectares by 2025. The industry will provide a stable income for people in Rongjiang and become a long-term fruitful career," Yang said. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)