Shaanxi poultry farmers find new way to alleviate poverty
Updated 21:52, 02-Jul-2019
Deng Wei
[]

"Raising black chickens not only helps me support my family, but also allows me to stay at home and take care of my parents," said Ma Xiushan, a resident of Lijiaping, Lueyang County, Shaanxi Province.

Since 2017, the county has followed the "2+5" model for poultry farmers who raise black chickens to promote cooperation between the farmers and local enterprises. According to Zheng Xiaocui, CEO of Qinmai Agricultural, this model includes three parts: production cooperatives that provide 2-month-old chicks and follow-up services, impoverished families that raise the chickens for 5 months, and companies like Qinmai Agricultural that buy the chickens from those families to sell in the high-end market. 

There are already 89 families raising black chickens in Heihe Town, Lueyang County, in 2019, said Zheng, and the number is expected to increase to 200 in a year.

Ma, who raises 500 black chickens in his yard, told CGTN he needs to raise them for about 180 days before sending them to the company, and the net profit of each chicken is 20-30 yuan.

Ma Xiushan in his chicken yard. /Photo by Zeng Linhao

Ma Xiushan in his chicken yard. /Photo by Zeng Linhao

To protect the interests of poverty-stricken families, the county government insures each black chicken the families own so that they can recover the cost in case of disaster.

Wu Tao, from Lueyang County's agricultural department, said the government is dedicated to improving the environment for poverty alleviation and providing villagers with better conditions to work themselves out of poverty.

(Cover: Black chickens in Heihe Town, Lueyang County, Shaanxi Province. /Photo by Zeng Linhao)