Strong Agricultural Pioneer | Sun Xigao: Achieving a Comprehensive Development of the Entire Vegetable Industry Chain.

agriculture is prosperous, and all industries are prosperous; Farmers are rich, Weifang is strong.

On the new journey of comprehensively promoting rural revitalization and accelerating the modernization of agriculture and rural areas, Weifang, as a large agricultural city, has always stood at the forefront of the tide and dared to be the first, constantly writing a new chapter in the high-quality development of agriculture. Luwang Weifang and Weifang Municipal Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs conducted a special interview on "Strong Agricultural Pioneers", focusing on exemplary figures, advanced models and benchmark cases struggling on the front line of rural revitalization, spreading the moving stories of rural revitalization, taking the pioneers as a mirror, aligning with the examples, gathering the surging momentum of a strong agricultural city, and gathering strength to promote stronger agriculture, more beautiful rural areas, and richer farmers.

Luwang, July 29 (Reporter Wang Yulong, Wei Xue) In the middle of summer, the reporter walked into the production demonstration greenhouse of Weifang Zhucheng Yikang Food Co., Ltd., and Sun Xigao, general manager of the company, was instructing workers to plant shallots, ridges, digging pits, planting, adjusting seedlings, cultivating soil, and watering. "This is the kind of 'Star No. 2'. This shed can plant 25,400 trees, harvest three crops, with a total output of seven or eight tons, and supply the export market ......." Sun Xigao said that such high-quality seedlings will also be sent to farms, cooperatives and large growers that cooperate with Yikang to help them increase yield and increase efficiency.

Sun Xigao, general manager of Zhucheng Yikang Food Co., Ltd., joined the work of supply and marketing cooperatives in 1980, stepped into the vegetable industry industry in 1998, and has been rooted in the countryside, always insisting on vegetable planting, processing and sales, relying on scientific and technological innovation, exploring a new way of integrated development of vegetable planting, processing and sales, demonstration has driven the development of the local vegetable industry.

Annually exporting over 10,000 tons with sales exceeding 60 million yuan, in the production workshop of Yikang Company, reporters observed a batch of custom-processed products including onions, garlic shoots, radishes, and ginger, already packed and ready for shipment to Japan and South Korea.

As a company specializing in the processing and sales of fresh vegetables, Zhucheng Yikang Food Co., Ltd. processes more than 10,000 tons of fresh produce each year, with over 80% of its products, such as carrots, cabbage, and onions, continuously shipped to Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia, achieving annual sales exceeding 60 million yuan.

In recent years, numerous laws and regulations pertaining to agricultural products have been introduced in foreign markets, raising the barriers to entry. To enhance the export level of foreign trade products, Weifang and Zhucheng are actively cultivating new agricultural production capacities, strictly managing food safety, and simultaneously refining processing to facilitate the smooth export of high-quality agricultural products.

"Our products are strictly produced and managed according to the standards of Japan and the European Union," said Sun Xigao. "The company also undertakes differentiated production based on the varying requirements of different countries and regions; some products need to be meticulously selected, sorted according to specifications, and then packaged. Others require larger packages to be converted into smaller ones, and we strive to meet customer requirements as much as possible."

Starting with ginger and onions, leading farmers to cultivate export vegetables."The widespread cultivation of export vegetables in Zhucheng began in 1996," Sun Xigao introduced to the reporter. "Initially, it began with ginger exports as a pioneer. With the friendly development of Sino-Japanese relations, numerous Japanese food companies came to China to expand the sales market for quality seeds and procure high-quality agricultural products, thus initiating the export of Zhucheng agricultural products."

In 1998, Sun Xigao first introduced and trialed Japanese yellow onions in Jiayue Town, Zhucheng, and tested Japanese green onions in Zhu Jie Town. To ensure that the cultivated vegetables met Japanese standards, he hired Japanese experts from the Qingdao Japan Huanglong Seed Company to teach farmers on-site about seedling cultivation, management during the seedling stage, plant and row spacing, and various other planting details. "At that time, the farmers were also planting according to standards for the first time, which directly overturned their traditional planting mindset.""Field management is the most troublesome issue for growers and the most critical step in vegetable cultivation. We hired Japanese technicians to guide the growers hand-in-hand on the quantitative use of chemical fertilizers, organic manures, pesticide application standards, and the details regarding watering, furrowing, and harvesting," Sun Xigao recalled.Good seeds, coupled with scientific management practices, yield favorable results. During harvest, vegetables were selected and graded according to Japanese export standards and returned to the company.

Farmers saw a net income of 5,000 yuan per acre that year, which was 4,000 yuan more than what they earned from wheat or corn. Farmers tasted the benefits of modern agricultural practices for the first time, significantly motivating growers and laying a solid foundation for the future promotion of vegetable cultivation.To further promote vegetable cultivation in Zhucheng, Sun Xigao led the company to establish self-owned demonstration bases in Baichi River, Xiangzhou, and Changcheng Town starting in 2003. They purchased over thirty sets of agricultural machinery, for their own use and to provide services to the planting farmers. At their self-owned bases, they began calling farmers to observe and learn from seedling cultivation on site, giving them a hands-on impression that would benefit their operations in the future.To ensure that planting farmers understood the planting details, the company specifically printed various vegetable cultivation operation guidelines, providing each farmer with a copy.

If there were any uncertainties, they could contact the company directly, as both Sun Xigao and his technicians were essentially always available in Zhucheng City to address any challenges encountered in vegetable cultivation. After years of efforts, his company has established cooperative bases across several provinces, including an average of over 5,000 acres annually in the Weifang area.

The 'Leading Enterprise' model has driven farmers to increase their income and prosperity.Sun Xigao is well aware that vegetable planting is the first step, and this initial work is foundational. In order to establish a stable supply source, he took the lead in founding the Zhucheng Yikang Vegetable Professional Cooperative, uniting over 300 vegetable-growing households as members. They recommended him to serve as the chairman, and the vegetables grown by the members are cultivated based on orders, which ensures a basic income guarantee, eliminating the previous issues of price drops harming farmers and unsold produce.

In terms of boosting farmers' incomes, Sun Xigao has also explored an effective model. As one of the top 500 agricultural cooperatives in China, the company operates a planting management model comprising 'Leading Enterprises, Professional Cooperatives, Family Farms, and Farmers' that unifies seed supply, technical guidance, and product recovery, significantly reducing market risks for farmers. 'We have established a close benefit linkage mechanism with farmers, with annual cooperative earnings exceeding tens of millions of yuan,' Sun Xigao proudly stated. 'All vegetables grown through orders have a basic protection price, ensuring the interests of planting members. Members precisely grow according to the demands of the professional cooperative and the company, achieving a win-win outcome.'

Years of good cooperation have resulted in a demonstrative effect. This year, the Yang Yizhuang community in Changcheng Town, where the company is located, will establish a party organization-sponsored cooperative, planning to collaborate with Yikang Company to initially develop 150 acres of high-quality vegetable order cultivation, further deepening the 'Thousand Enterprises to Promote a Thousand Cooperatives' initiative, thus increasing village collective income and farmer prosperity. This 'Company, Cooperative, and Farmer' model not only guarantees raw material supply and quality but also provides farmers with a 'peace of mind,' alleviating concerns over market access.Once the vegetables are grown, the key issue becomes how to sell them. Over the years, he has led the company to construct a 15,000-ton cold storage facility and a 3,000-ton low-temperature storage facility, as well as over 20,000 square meters of production workshops, receiving members' vegetables to meticulously select, grade, process, package, and store for export. The company has successively developed international markets in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Canada, exporting 10,000 tons of vegetables annually, achieving annual sales of over 60 million yuan, with foreign exchange earnings exceeding 8 million USD. The variety of crops processed has expanded from the initial onions and scallions to include cabbage, bok choy, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, burdock, yam, and potatoes among others. Domestic market sales have been comprehensively developed both online and offline, and in recent years, the company has progressively entered micro-business and e-commerce, achieving favorable sales results.

The integration of primary, secondary and tertiary industries increases the added value of vegetables

With the deepening of China's opening up, more and more enterprises are engaged in vegetable processing and sales, and the market competition is becoming more and more fierce. In recent years, in order to seize the market opportunity, Sun Xigao led the company's scientific and technological staff, increased investment in research and development, introduced secret recipes for food production, purchased new equipment, and launched three new prefabricated vegetable assembly lines, including 2 vegetable frying lines and 1 frozen vegetable assembly line, developed fried potato towers, potato chips, eggplant slices, lotus root slices, pot pot potatoes, mini potatoes, and developed six products around the deep processing of potatoes, which were favored by the market. Its potato tart products have won the title of Shandong Province Thousand Excellent Products. In addition, they have also developed more than a dozen varieties such as quick-frozen diced onions, diced carrots, green onion segments, green onion rings, frozen ginger cubes, ginger paste, etc., which not only make full use of vegetable leftovers, but also improve their added value and broaden sales channels.

Sun Xigao's achievements in leading the company have not only won the support of local vegetable growers, but also been affirmed and supported by the higher authorities. In 2018, it was selected as the seventh batch of provincial key leading enterprises in agricultural industrialization in Shandong Province, and the professional cooperative founded was awarded the "National Farmer Cooperative Demonstration Society" by the National Supply and Marketing Cooperative and the Ministry of Agriculture. In 2022 and 2023, it was rated as one of the top 500 farmer professional cooperatives in China for two consecutive years. He himself was awarded the first batch of rural stars in Zhucheng, and was awarded the title of "National Outstanding Chairman" by the China Association of Cooperative Economics in 2019, and the base he created was recognized as the National Vegetable Quality Standards Center Experimental Demonstration Base in 2021.

Sun Xigao knows that rural agriculture is a big school, and there are still countless difficulties and unknown variables in the vegetable industry in front of him, but he continues to lead his team to move forward bravely and make his own contributions to the development of the vegetable industry. He plans to expand the planting area of the cooperative by 1,000 acres this year, and at the same time, in line with the trend of agricultural digitalization and intelligence, further expand the application of automation equipment, and continuously improve production efficiency and product quality.

"We must not only let Zhucheng's high-quality agricultural products go to the world, but also let farmers get tangible benefits from it." Sun Xigao said. In his view, the value of agricultural entrepreneurs is not only to create economic benefits, but also to drive the people to get rich together and contribute to rural revitalization.