The Government of China has set itself the goal of eradicating total poverty in that country by 2020, and, to achieve this it has put in place various strategies, including the modernization of that country's native products industry, such as kiwi.
The cultivation of kiwi has contributed to substantially reduce poverty in the Xiuwen district, where most families are engaged in this productive activity, said Huang Yaxin, the Director of the Kiwi Harvest Management at the aforementioned locality.
The key to getting many people out of poverty through the production of kiwi has been betting on state investment, agricultural cooperatives, the use of technology, and the care of the ecosystem, according to Huang Yaxin.
Last year, the kiwi production of the Xiuwen district amounted to 2.2 billion yuan, which helped increase the per capita income of the farmers who grow that fruit in 7,000 yuan, according to local information.
Technology
The Scientific and Technological Kiwi Park, a place where the local government has allocated an investment of 500 million yuan to support the kiwi business, is being developed in the district of Xiuwen, in the province of Guizhou.
The kiwi is processed in this park and we are making great efforts to extend its industry, betting on extending the cultivation areas and using Big Data technology, Huang Yaxin said.
For example, the commitment to Big Data technology, a large-scale data processing and monitoring system, allows a person from an agricultural cooperative to spend less time going to his orchards to see the state of his plantations and pest threats because now he can do it from a computer.
This technology is used in the planting, harvesting, and sales stages. Yang Jian, a representative of the state company Xiuwen Agricultural Investment and Development, part of the initiative of the Scientific and Technological Park in Xiuwen, said that investing in smart agriculture was a great way to develop business that have a potential, such as the cultivation of kiwis.
According to Yang Jian, data monitoring technology allows producers to have key information from sowing to the market, since they can compare their current information with the data from past harvests to improve productive practices and obtain better crops.
In addition, the sale of products through electronic commerce increases the demand and consumers can consult the product's information by scanning the QR code in each package, through a cell phone.
Added value
The kiwi of Xiuwen has its own brand thanks to its changes in agriculture, and to the commitment to value-added products. For example, the Xiuwen Agricultural Investment and Development company makes juices, energy drinks, dried fruits, canned products, and has developed oils and wines based on that fruit.
The various kiwi products are sold in various Chinese provinces, as well as in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Malaysia and, in the medium term, they will be sold in other important markets, such as Japan, Yang Jian stated.
In addition, the local government is promoting the kiwi ecotourism route, in which tourists can take a tour of a kiwi orchard, learn about the inspection, packaging, and storage of the fruit, as well as savor the fruit in its different presentations.
Source: andina.pe