Winter and spring vegetable production and marketing need to accelerate the pace

Hainan Province is an important spring and spring vegetable production base in the country. The cold and rainy weather in the winter and spring of 2011 caused Hainan's bitter gourd to suffer its first loss in more than a decade. Not long ago, the author went to Tunchang County in Hainan Province and visited provincial and county-level agricultural departments and the Tunlu County Maple Green Professional Cooperative to investigate the problems in the production and marketing of vegetables in the winter and spring.

The bitter gourd benefit is lowest in 20 years

The bitter gourd planting income in Hainan Tunchang in 2011 was the worst in 20 years. Only 10% of the farmers made money, and the profit was very low. The main reason is that the cold and rainy weather in winter and spring affected the growth and development of bitter gourd seedlings. The bitter gourd was listed more than 50 days later than last year. It coincided with the listing period of bitter gourd of “Guangzhou-Guangzhou” and the price dropped.

According to Mr. Li Hanqiang, president of Tunchang Maple Green Professional Cooperatives, the poor performance of bitter gourd planting in 2011 was highlighted by two points: First, the price was low, the opening price was 1.8 yuan, and the last batch fell to 0.8 yuan, averaging less than 1 yuan. The previous year was an average of 1.8 yuan. Second, the output was low. Due to the short picking period and unfavorable prices, farmers "dragging" and were unwilling to pick, yielded about 4,000 pounds per mu, which was less than half of the previous year.

Chen Jinhui is a villager in Long Village, Maple Town. In 2011, he planted 5 mu of bitter gourd, which lost about 1,000 yuan per mu. In addition to the weather, the bitter gourd he planted is also affected by pests and diseases. As no grafted seedlings were used, more than 60% of the bitter gourd seedlings were wilted.

It is understood that bitter gourd accounts for 50% to 60% of the farmers' income in Maple Town. The cold winter and rainy weather in 2011 delayed the listing of bitter gourd, breaking the equilibrium situation in which the “Hainan-Guangzhou-Guangzhou” bitter gourd was successively listed, resulting in low prices and damage to farmers. This shows that the natural risks faced by Hainan melon vegetable production in winter can easily be transformed into the market risks faced by sales.

Increased production of peppers faces market risk

According to Zhang Guangwei, director of the Agricultural Bureau of Tunchang County, due to the good price of chili in 2010, the enthusiasm of the farmers in Tunchang was high in 2011, and the area increased by 1,000 acres. The total area of ​​planting vegetables in the county has increased by about 4,000 mu. At the same time, the bitter gourd planting area has slightly decreased. Besides the reasons for the poor planting income, it is also affected by the delay in preparation for land and insufficient supply of grafted seedlings.

It is worth noting that from mid-September to mid-October 2011, two typhoons and the heavy rains they brought about had a great impact on the production of peppers in Qiongbei. Tunchang lost at least 60% to 70% of seedlings. In order to make up for the losses, farmers concentrated their nursery in mid-November, which could easily lead to the concentration of peppers.

Xing Yi, a researcher at the marketing department of Hainan Provincial Department of Agriculture, expressed concern about the pepper market this spring. This year's Spring Festival is earlier than in previous years, while the delay in the listing of peppers, coupled with the more concentrated market, several factors superimposed, two or three months may appear difficult to sell peppers, pay close attention.

Therefore, in addition to focusing on production assistance and post-disaster recovery, the agricultural sector should take the initiative to increase propaganda for the production of chili peppers, help shape market expectations, raise prices appropriately, and increase farmers' income.

Cooperatives set up production and sales platforms

The survey found that although bitter gourd planting efficiency was not good in 2011, there was no occurrence of bitter gourd rot in Maple Town, and cooperatives played a role that could not be ignored. The first is to build a marketing platform. In 2011, a considerable portion of the unsalable bitter gourd was co-ordinated by the cooperatives and directly pulled into the factory canteens in Dongguan for sale. The second is capital turnover assistance. Because the farmers lost the bitter gourd money, the cash flow could not be opened. The cooperatives paid a large amount of agricultural resources for many households and maintained the next round of vegetable production. The third is to reduce the cost of sales. The cooperatives are purchasing the market through Jiantiantou to reduce the cost of sales; through the establishment of long-term cooperative relations with the foam box plant, the cost of packaging is reduced; and the cost of agricultural resources is reduced through the establishment of agricultural distribution centers. The fourth is technical support. In terms of grafting seedlings for bitter gourd in Tunchang, the cooperative has become a channel to implement supporting policies. The longevity of the bitter gourd in Tunchang is too long and it has been very incompatible with the land. Maple Green Cooperative has successfully explored a method of grafting bitter gourd seedlings on pumpkin seedlings a few years ago. County Agriculture Bureau is currently subsidizing professional cooperatives to promote the cultivation of greenhouses.

Talking about the sales of maple bitter gourd, Li Hanqiang said that the cooperatives and dealers will set a benchmark price in advance in accordance with market conditions to ensure the order of acquisition. Now, the quality of bitter gourd can be guaranteed and there is no room for improvement in output. The next step is to increase revenue by developing high-end markets. However, most cooperatives have not yet reached the operating level of the Maple Green Cooperative.

A multi-pronged approach to the production and marketing of vegetables

According to Xu Teng, Deputy Director of Marketing Department of Hainan Provincial Department of Agriculture, the planting area of ​​vegetables in Hainan steadily increased in 2011. Since November 3, 2011, the first car was exported from the island in winter and continued to produce 800 tons of islands a day, slightly higher. In the previous year, Izushima's melon dishes were mainly cowpea and watermelon, and the price rose by about 10% year-on-year. However, behind the abundant supply, there is a worry of unbalanced market supply and sales.

Feng Yongwei, a villager in Maple Town, planted 15 acres of pepper and 3 acres of bitter gourd in the winter of 2011. The reason why the bitter gourd planting area was not expanded was mainly because the bitter gourd was too labor-intensive. Zhang Guangwei expressed concern about this situation: “In 2011, the chili market was good and the bitter gourd was damaged by the weather. As a result, more peppers were grown. Looking at the situation in 2012, the planting area of ​​bitter gourd should be increased and the area of ​​peppers should be reduced. There are four reasons for this: First, there is a technical advantage for bitter gourd farmers, and secondly, Tuen Chan, which is the dominant bitter gourd in Hainan, dominates the market, and thirdly, mature sales channels for bitter gourd are closely linked with merchants.Fourth, from the previous year's situation, bitter gourd is normal. We can make money by going public. We propose to stabilize the bitter gourd area."

At present, it is necessary to strengthen effective guidance. First, master the production and sales information that is as accurate as possible and publish it in a timely manner in the way the farmers like to hear. The second is based on local conditions, the development of regional varieties. The third is to adopt targeted measures to support production. For instance, bitter gourd seedlings in Tunchang can not satisfy demand, and it is urgent to increase seedling input.

In terms of sales, the local government has mainly adopted the measures of “retaining seed and ensuring income”. The first is to allow large-scale leading enterprises to enter and develop order agriculture. For example, Yongqing Group, a leading company in the region, set a minimum purchase price for peppers with farmers. The spread between the lowest price and the market price is borne by half of the government and half by the company. The second is to allow consumers and producers to meet in advance, and cooperatives and urban communities establish direct sales relations. Currently, pilot projects have been conducted in Haikou. The third is to grasp the brand and quality and safety, and open up channels for melons and vegetables into supermarkets and hotels.

At present, the two leading varieties of Tunchang, although the method of stabilizing production and the market are different, have achieved good results. Pepper is mainly supported by the government, the company-led "minimum purchase price" policy; bitter gourd mainly depends on Long-term cooperative relationship between cooperatives and distributors. However, the spring and winter melon vegetables in Hainan are greatly affected by severe weather. To stabilize the market and ensure the increase of farmers' income, it is also necessary to promote insurance for melon production, strengthen weather warning and post-disaster recovery, actively guide public opinion, and promote the use of price adjustment funds to production. Start with other aspects.