Tropical pasture helps farmers thrive in Hainan

A view of Xueguli ecological pasture in South China's Hainan province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

You maybe aware that prairies are widely found in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, but in Changjiang Li autonomous county in South China's Hainan province, a tropical place, there is also a piece of ecological pasture, named Xueguli.

"I never imagined I can ride horses, shoot arrows and even drink authentic delicious yogurt in a tropical city. I have never been to Inner Mongolia, but this place makes me feel as if I were there," said a tourist when visiting the pasture.

Xueguli ecological pasture introduced a breed of cows last year, and ushered in the first round of milk production in this July. As the first poverty alleviation ecological dairy industry in Changjiang, the ranch covers an area of about 66.7 hectares. After full completion, Xueguli can provide 2.2 million kilograms of high-quality fresh milk and related products each year.

While enriching the ecological livestock industry in Hainan, it also helps more poor local farmers get rid of poverty and thrive.

Hainan Furuixi Animal Husbandry Technology Company, which operates the pasture, is one of the eight poverty reduction companies of Changjiang. Driven by the enterprise, the local poverty-stricken households are more motivated to lift themselves out of poverty.

According to a person in charge of Changjiang poverty relief office, besides receiving fixed annual dividends, a large number of impoverished households actively engage in the pasture reclamation, construction, as well as feed and milk the cows on the pasture. Up to now, a total of 311 out of 460 poor households have been lifted out of poverty.

The company invested about 120 million yuan in the construction of Changjiang Xueguli pasture, including the construction of the cow farm, fruit picking garden, sightseeing corridor, colorful terraces, and shared homestays, he said.

Combining agriculture development and tourism together, Xueguli is the first tropical ecological ranch in Hainan province.