The channel is sinking and agricultural products are rising, and Yunnan Menglian has grown nearly eighty percent of domestic avocados

Small Fruit Goes to Big Market (New Economic Direction, County Economic Observation)

This autumn, the avocados in Menglian Dai Lahu Wa Autonomous County in Yunnan Province have been harvested again. The planting area is 10,81 mu, the production area is 2,04 mu, the fresh fruit output is 1,73 tons, and the output value is more than 6 million yuan - Menglian will take avocado as a characteristic industry, there is a large-scale planting base, and the output of fresh fruit accounts for nearly eighty percent of the domestic production.

From "imported products" to "local specialties", avocados have taken root and borne fruit in Menglian, accompanied by the establishment and improvement of the modern circulation system of local agricultural products. This picking season, the reporter came to Menglian and walked into the orchard to see how the local channel sank and agricultural products went up.

Specialty planting from scratch to strength

10 years of cultivation, 16 years of hard work, built a million seedling base

In Mong Cai Village, Nayun Town, tourists pick on the spot, fist-sized fruits, the skin color is shiny, and the luster is attractive. Baskets of fruits are sent to restaurants and coffee shops, where they are boiled into soups, stewed meats or desserts, and eaten together with Menglian coffee.

Native to Mexico, avocado is both a fruit and a dish, smelling light and fragrant, tasting delicate and smooth, with a cheese-like texture. The taste tasted in the early years made Yuxi entrepreneur Qi Jiazhu never forget: "The income of the people has increased, the quality of life has improved, and the market potential of this fruit is not small." ”

After a year of research, Qi Jiazhu selected Meng Lian: "The average annual temperature is about 20 degrees Celsius, with plenty of sunshine and abundant rain, which is a good place to grow avocados." ”

In 2007, the first batch of fruit trees were introduced for trial planting. It takes 4 to 5 years for the avocado to bear fruit, and the fruit growers adjust the planting method according to the local reality, and the 10-year cultivation will eventually bear fruit. In 2017, the first batch of 200 tons of avocados went on the market, which was snapped up by dealers and sold for tens of millions of yuan in less than 3 months. This gave Meng Lian people confidence. In 2018, the local government identified avocado as a characteristic industry of "one county, one industry".

Driven by leading enterprises, Menglian's avocado planting area has gradually expanded. Large-scale production, the introduction of excellent varieties, cooperation with a team of experts... In the past 16 years, a high-quality seedling base with an annual output of 100 million plants and a sterile clonal propagation clonal seedling base with an annual output of 20,<> plants have been built, and a large-scale avocado plantation has been cultivated.

Menglian avocados are planted early, and as this niche fruit enters the public eye, it can be sold at a higher price. "In big cities, a gift box can be sold for up to 135 yuan, which makes us believe that this industry has a bright future." Zhao Yuan, director of the Menglian Bureau of Agriculture, Rural Affairs and Science and Technology, and director of the Office of the Avocado Planting Industry Development Headquarters, said that he was not sure how to sell the fruit continuously and stably.

Supply and demand docking smooth channels

From the branch to the table, it only takes 72 hours at the earliest

As expected, while Meng Lian was growing on a large scale, avocados were also becoming increasingly popular in the market. "The sales volume is growing rapidly every year, and the platform's requirements for quality are getting higher and higher." Hou Yu, the avocado purchasing specialist of the e-commerce fresh retail platform Hema Fresh, said.

"In the past, avocados needed to be picked early due to transportation, which would sacrifice a certain growth period and affect the taste." Hou Yu said that now, it only takes 72 hours for Menglian avocados to go from the branches to the table at the earliest, which means that the fruit can be hung on the tree until it is eight or nine ripe before picking, and the taste is better.

In 2019, Hou Yu searched for avocado planting bases across the country. In some places, it is difficult to stabilize the supply, and in some places, the quality cannot be guaranteed, and the results are not satisfactory after a round of inspection. On the other hand, Meng Lian used social platforms to post an article to promote avocados, which attracted much attention.

"Meng Lian produces avocados." A message from a supplier made the purchaser move again, and this time there was a catch. "The planting base here is large enough." Hou Yu said that Meng Lian was able to supply in batches and had the conditions for intensive production.

The forward-looking industrial layout has brought a generous window period for the development of Menglian's avocado industry.

In 2021, Menglian avocado was sold in Hema fresh stores in 18 cities for the first time. In November 2022, the first avocado Hema Village was unveiled in Mangxin Village, Mangxin Town, Menglian, and in the next three years, the annual underwriting value of Hema Fresh can reach 11 million yuan. A domestic ready-to-eat avocado supply chain has been opened.

At the same time, Meng Lian actively improved the production process. In the past, avocados were available as early as September, but after working with e-commerce platforms, companies and growers delayed the harvest by a month, resulting in higher dry matter content and a richer taste.

In order to broaden sales channels, Menglian has also built a fruit selection warehouse and an e-commerce platform, and cooperated with enterprises such as Hema Fresh, Nongfu Jicai, Rising Fruit, and Zhongtong Yuncang Technology to continuously open up the market. The avocados in the town sat on the cold chain car and came to the city's fresh supermarket, where two 2-gram fruits were packed into a box and labeled as "ripe on the tree", which was very recognized.

Integrated development of agriculture with agriculture

Land shares, fruit farming, the average annual income per mu is about 6000,<> yuan

In the avocado base of Nanya Village, Nayun Town, villager Zha'er is taking care of fruit trees. Drone operation in the sky, intelligent drip irrigation underground, Zha'er can manage and protect with just a mobile phone.

"The higher the output value, the more dividends. According to the market price, one mu of land can earn about 6000,<> yuan per year. "Zha'er is a shareholder of land, and at the same time a caretaker, he can get two incomes from dividends and labor services, and there is land rent before hanging fruits, and he can guarantee income in drought and flood.

In order to drive more villagers to enjoy the benefits of the industry, the county has set up an industrial investment group, local state-owned enterprises are responsible for industrial planning, standard formulation and fund raising, planting leading enterprises are responsible for management, providing seedlings and technical guidance, sales, and farmers' professional cooperatives are responsible for base management. Farmers and leading enterprises each receive 30 percent of the sales profits, and the remaining 40 percent is redistributed by state-owned management companies, cooperatives, and village collectives.

According to reports, at present, Menglian has invested about 5,20 mu of cooperative land, and the collective annual income of the villages covered by the industry is more than 40,3000 yuan, and the more can reach 1,5 yuan. The cooperatives have signed base management agreements with rural households, giving priority to absorbing poverty alleviation laborers, and can absorb more than <>,<> people for local employment every year, with an average annual income of more than <>,<> yuan.

"Menglian Avocado" has also been registered as a national geographical indication certification trademark, included in the national list of famous and excellent new agricultural products, fruit quality grades and production technical regulations and other local standards have been released one by one, and the construction of intensive processing parks has also been put on the agenda. Fruit puree, fruit drink, fruit powder, fruit oil and other deep-processed products, as well as avocado snack food, health food and other derivative products, will move from a small county to a large market.

"In October this year, Meng Lian held the first avocado festival, which attracted tens of thousands of tourists and orderers." Zhao Yuan said that on the opening day, more than 10,3000 tons of avocado orders were promoted, "At present, local fresh fruits have replaced 15% of the share of imported fruits." We will also further promote the in-depth integration of avocado with leisure tourism, ethnic culture, port tourism, health preservation, etc. (Reporter Li Maoying)

Source: People's Daily