"The environment here is reassuring" - Chairman of "Rooting in Mainland China" by Taiwanese businessmen | Improvement | Mainland China
Kunming, July 24th (Xinhua) - On the banks of the Nu River in western Yunnan, Wang Zhizhe, Chairman of Yunnan Bafang Agricultural Technology Development Co., Ltd., is observing the growth of avocado at his avocado planting base. After a three-year trial planting period, this batch of avocados will be officially harvested in September this year.
Looking back to 1990, 27 year old Wang Zhizhe first set foot on the mainland. He, who majored in factory management, made a special trip to his cousin's company to help and planted the seeds of "rooting" in the mainland.
With the development of the mainland, Wang Zhizhe gradually started fruit trade, and years of industry experience have shown him business opportunities. "In the mainland, avocado is a relatively emerging fruit category.". In 2016, Wang Zhizhe had the idea of transitioning to physical agriculture and began searching for suitable land.
After a trip to New Zealand, Mexico and other places, Wang Zhizhe finally decided to return to Chinese Mainland for further cultivation. In Mengnuo Town, Longling County, Baoshan City, Yunnan Province, the annual rainfall in the dry and hot river valley climate reaches 800 to 900 millimeters, and it also has good drainage conditions.
Taiwanese businessman Wang Zhizhe observed the fruit growth at the avocado base. Shen Jizhong
"More importantly, the cultural, linguistic, and other aspects of the environment here are more suitable for oneself. Being 'rooted' in the mainland would be more reassuring," said Wang Zhizhe.
In March 2020, Wang Zhizhe and shareholders from multiple countries including Mexico and Japan jointly registered and established Yunnan Bafang Agricultural Technology Development Co., Ltd. The company currently has a planting area of 2337 acres and plans to expand the planting area to about 15000 acres in Mengnuo Town and surrounding areas, as well as build a fresh fruit processing factory, cold storage, and nursery base.
"This year is the final year of trial planting. Once the quality stabilizes, we can start mass planting," said Wang Zhizhe. "Our planting and management situation is getting better and better, which is largely benefited from the active assistance of local government departments and Taiwan Affairs Office."
Three years ago, Wang Zhizhe and his partners came to the undeveloped Jiangshan area to plant fruit trees on mountains without electricity or water, and irrigation became a challenge. "At that time, we had to pump water from the foot of the mountain, and sometimes even buy water directly from farmers for irrigation," recalled Zhang Wei, the general manager of the company. With the active coordination of the Longling County government, a water pipe was installed from a reservoir more than ten kilometers away and connected to the mountain, gradually solving the water problem.
Zhang Wei said that the road to the planting base is rugged and difficult to navigate, with many twists and turns, and large power generation equipment cannot be transported to the mountains. "The local government department has allocated more than 2 million yuan for the repair of roads in Jiangzhongshan, and the project bidding has been completed.".
Yang Hongmei, Deputy Minister of the United Front Work Department of the Baoshan Municipal Party Committee, introduced that as of April this year, the Taiwan Affairs Office of Baoshan City has accumulated more than 20 million yuan in various project funds for Taiwan funded enterprises.
The development of avocado industry also provides more opportunities for the local area. According to Xiong Zhengtao, the mayor of Mengnuo Town, the enterprise has currently recruited more than 30 workers, and the picking season can drive around 140 surrounding farmers. With the expansion of the enterprise scale, it can sustainably help local farmers achieve income growth and employment.
"We enjoy various welfare benefits such as single person dormitories, five insurances and one fund," said Wang Zaizhou, the production manager of the base. Before joining the company in 2019, he made a living by planting corn and sugarcane, with an annual income of about 20000 yuan. For example, this year's income has exceeded 50000 yuan.
The avocado base is located in Jiangzhong, Mengnuo Town, Longling County, Baoshan City, Yunnan Province. Shen Jizhong
The improvement of operating conditions of Yunnan Bafang Agricultural Technology Development Co., Ltd. is a microcosm of the effective implementation of the mainland's policy of benefiting Taiwan. In recent years, the mainland has successively introduced policies and measures that benefit Taiwan and the people, such as "31 Articles," "26 Articles," "11 Articles," and "22 Articles for Agriculture and Forestry.". Starting from 2020, Baoshan City in Yunnan Province has formulated and introduced policies that benefit Taiwan, such as the "Several Measures to Promote Economic and Cultural Exchange and Cooperation between Baoshan and Taiwan" and the "Baoshan City Overseas Taiwan Collaborative Investment Promotion Mechanism".
According to data from the Yunnan Provincial Taiwan Affairs Office, as of the end of 2022, there were over 1140 Taiwanese enterprises in the province, with over 2 billion US dollars in funds in place.
Now, Wang Zhizhe, who has witnessed more than 30 years of great changes in the mainland, has integrated into mainland life. "Now, I have been living in mainland China for even longer than in Taiwan. After my son graduated from university, he also followed my advice to seek opportunities in mainland China." He said, "I hope more Taiwanese people can seize opportunities here and explore the market."
