China News Service, Yancheng, February 2: Hairy crabs have become a popular New Year product in Jiangsu water towns, and crab pickers can earn up to 1,000 yuan a day.
Author Yu Congwen Guhua
At 9 a.m. on February 2, the Jiulong Aquatic Products Trading Market in Jianhu County, Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province was already bustling. As a water town in Lixiahe, fish, shrimps, shells, crabs, etc. are the local special aquatic products for the New Year, and hairy crabs are the most dazzling stars among them.
Jianhu is located in the hinterland of Lixia River, with abundant sweet water and grass. It is a high-quality hairy crab breeding ground. The county has more than 100,000 acres of breeding area. The Chinese geographical indication certification trademark "Jiulongkou Hairy Crab" is famous far and wide.
According to the relevant person in charge of the Jianhu County Jiulongkou Hairy Crab Association, the Jiulongkou Hairy Crab Breeding Area is located in the Jiulongkou Ecological Wetland. The territory is crisscrossed with ditches and rivers, and the water network is densely covered. The water quality is excellent, and there are abundant natural baits such as aquatic plants, snails, fish and shrimps, which is very suitable for hairy crabs. growth and development.
In a local "Jiulongkou Hairy Crab" brand flagship store, manager Yang Bo is busy receiving customers. The company has a hairy crab breeding base of 5,000 acres. In order to ensure the excellent quality of hairy crabs, it operates independently from nursery to breeding to sales, with an annual output value of about 100 million yuan (RMB, the same below). "With this professional market, the sales price of crab products can be increased by 5 yuan." Yang Bo said.
It is understood that in 2023, Jianhu County will build a large-scale professional wholesale trading market for river crabs based on the "Jiulongkou Hairy Crab" brand. The newly renovated Jiulong aquatic products trading market covers an area of more than 40 acres and has gathered more than 70 merchants. The number of daily traders exceeds 2000 people.
According to Gao Rengui, the person in charge of market operations, the establishment of the Kowloon aquatic products trading market benefited from Jianhu’s unique lake environment and geographical location. There is no large-scale crab distribution market near Jianhu, so the Kowloon Aquatic Products Trading Market attracts merchants from all over the world to join. He said that after the market opened, the peak daily sales of hairy crabs were 3 million jins, and the annual turnover reached 6 billion yuan.
Locally, it is not only farmers and dealers who share the hairy crab "cake", but also many ordinary people. More than 1,000 surrounding residents are engaged in crab binding, crab picking, cleaning and other jobs in the market. There are more than 400 crab pickers alone. The daily salary of experienced crab pickers can reach 1,000 yuan.
As the Spring Festival approaches, the crab market is experiencing another wave of climax. The crabs, which weigh about five taels each, are very popular among consumers. Many dealers said that the crabs here are very large and the prices are not high.
Many citizens came to pick crabs to add to the New Year's Eve dinner. Mr. Chen, who bought more than ten crabs in the market, said that hairy crabs have become an indispensable delicacy on the dining table during New Years and holidays. Today, he came here to buy the hairy crabs in advance and wait for his children to come home during the Spring Festival to eat them together. (over)