Chinanews.com, Hangzhou, November 30th (Qian Chenfei) is busy harvesting saffron and extracting filigree to make medicinal materials. This belongs to the "hometown of saffron (saffron) in China"-the 11th in Sandu Town, Jiande, Zhejiang. moon.

  "November every year, busy and happy. Saffron is known as the'plant gold', and the annual picking period is only half a month. In the past few days, we have successively replanted the plants back to the ground and waited for the harvest in the coming year." Zhang Jianhong, a villager in Shengjiang Village, Sandu Town, told reporters that this year's harvest was good. His base produced more than 100 kilograms of dried filaments, and the price of dried filaments per kilogram was over 30,000 yuan in terms of first-stage flowers.

The saffron in Zhang Jianhong's base.

Photo by Qian Chenfei

  Different from other producing areas, the saffron in Jiande, Zhejiang is divided into outdoor and indoor cultivation.

"From April to May every year, we dig saffron plants from the ground and move them to the intelligent flower-growing greenhouse for cultivation. After the harvest is completed in November, we move them to the field for planting. This kind of planting method can be very effective. Well control the temperature and humidity required for the flowering of saffron, and improve the yield and quality of saffron."

  Saffron, also known as saffron, is native to Iran. During the Han and Jin Dynasties, it spread to Tibet from India and Nepal along with Buddhism.

In the 1970s, China introduced a few saffron bulbs to carry out experiments, and the three capitals of Jiande were successfully planted as experimental sites in Zhejiang.

  "My father was the first batch of flower farmers who tried to plant saffron. At that time, everyone had no experience in planting. He took saffron bulbs as a baby and took good care of them. Slowly the planting area became larger and larger. Jiande was engaged in saffron. More and more people are planting." Zhang Jianhong recalled that when the industry was the largest, there were nearly six or seven hundred villagers planting safflower.

Saffron.

Photo by Qian Chenfei

  The prosperity of the saffron industry has attracted young people like Zhang Jianhong to return.

"I originally worked in another place, but the rural conditions were not good at the time, and I didn't want to come back." Zhang Jianhong said that in 2008, due to his father's illness, the Xihonghua base was left unattended at home. He gave up his urban life and returned to his hometown.

  Its introduction also encountered bottlenecks in the initial stage.

“When I first took over, the land was infested by insects, and the saffron was rotted in the ground. In that year alone, we lost 700,000 yuan to 800,000 yuan. After adjusting our mentality, we got in touch with Zhejiang University of Technology and other colleges and universities. Started again with the help of technical experts."

  Thanks to Zhang Jianhong's efforts, the planting scale of saffron at his base has gradually expanded from more than 40 acres at the beginning to 120 acres.

In order to improve the quality of local safflower, he also gathered more than 100 members through the method of "enterprise + cooperative", shared planting experience with flower farmers, unified purchase of flower silk for drying, etc., which also drove the increase of members' income.

  In Sandu Town, saffron is also expected to be a "rich flower".

In recent years, in order to release the "benefiting" effect of saffron, the local area has accelerated land transfer, combined with the saffron-rice rotation model, led by large-scale planting, improved mechanical farming, and increased the income per mu of saffron, and at the same time strengthened the foundation Invest in facilities, strengthen cooperation with scientific research institutes, universities, etc., continuously improve the breeding level of saffron, and gradually embark on a path of common prosperity.

  Fang Rui, Secretary of the Party Committee of Sandu Town, introduced that the town’s saffron plantation area now has 2,100 mu, with an annual filament output of 2,900 kilograms, and an annual output value of about 40 million yuan. The planting area and output account for 50% of the country’s total and Zhejiang’s 70%, won the reputation of "National Red Flower in Zhejiang, Zhejiang West Red Flower in Jiande".

The industry has also promoted the employment of more than 2,000 local people, and the average household income has increased by more than 30,000 yuan. It has become the main source of income for farmers in Sandu Town.

  In addition, the local area has continued to implement the "going out" strategy of safflower, through the export of personnel and technology, so that safflower can be planted in Shanghai, Anhui, Henan, Guizhou and other places.

  "Behind the small flowers is a big industry. It allows families to live in small houses and drive cars." Looking at the plants that were replanted in the soil, Zhang Jianhong smiled, "Next year, they will open again. 'Get rich flowers'." (End)