Contributions inject new vitality into rural economy

Taiwan people have made a great contribution to the rural revitalization of Pingtan county in Fujian province, utilizing advanced technology and management expertise to inject new vitality into the development in the county, local officials said.

Fuyuan eco-agricultural science park leased idle farmland in Tianxia village in Pingtan to plant fruit in its effort to help the village speed up rural revitalization.

Lin Longqing, head of the park, said: "The soil in the village is fertile with more water absorption, which is suitable for planting fruit. We have planted dragon fruit in Pingtan for more than two years so far, and the yields on high-quality fruits are estimated to reach at least 100,000 yuan ($14,760) per mu (about 667 square meters)."

Tianxia village will receive half of the income, which will be divided proportionately among the villagers.

Lin said they also plan to invite teams from Taiwan to Pingtan to process derivative products, such as masks, noodles and enzymes, extending the industrial chain and provide more jobs and income for villagers.

Taiwan people have also contributed to improving the living environment in Pingtan. On Guanjin street in the area of Suping, colorful buildings and small parks have been added to provide residents with more leisure and recreational space.

The street's makeover was designed by a creative design company from Taiwan named Shangqukaixin. Chang Hsin-yi, a designer in the team, said, "We hope the living environment can be comfortable but also maintain elements of local characteristics."

The team moved its office to Guanjin street and observed the living habits of the local villagers to understand their culture.

Lubei village in Junshan area has become a biotechnology demonstration area because of Taiwan investor Ho Shu-ming. He visited Pingtan in 2014 and found the local farmers were using chemical fertilizer which was harmful to the soil and damaged the environment, while organic fertilizer was widely used in Taiwan then, he recalled.

In a factory invested in by him, covering more than 2,000 square meters, workers set up raw material processing and transportation equipment for solid fertilizer introduced from Taiwan, that can transform organic waste into organic fertilizer within eight hours.

He said from being based in Pingtan, he hopes to promote environmental protection ecological agriculture technology to farmers across the country.

caoyingying@chinadaily.com.cn