An undated picture shows that local people in Ya'an City of southwest China's Sichuan Province are picking ripe kiwifruits in June, 2011. (Photo/beiww.com)
Locals in the southwest Chinese city of Ya'an are working to revive their economy by planting Kiwi fruits.
The city was devastated by an earthquake 2 years ago.
Ao Wenhua, a local farmer from a quake-hit village, is happy to share his financial prospect. He says it is a far rosier picture than that before the earthquake.
"My kiwifruit is expected to make me twenty thousand yuan a year after it ripens. Before the earthquake, I had to travel far away from home to find a job and I only managed to earn three thousand yuan a year."
It seems an unlikely jump, but according to Long Jiayan,the news spokeswoman from Ya'an Agricultural Bureau, it has happened for two reasons.
"First, geographically, the six counties in Ya'an are ideal places for growing kiwifruit. Second, kiwifruit has relatively high economic values."
Village official Wang Qi agrees, and elaborates a bit more on Long's first point.
"There are a few contributing factors. First, we have fertile soil. Second, there is plenty of water to go around. And third, the lands here are wide. These are all advantages when it comes to growing kiwifruit."
Official figures put the current kiwifruit fields in Ya'an at 1,900 acres. Wang says the number is expected to reach 5,000 in the near future.
The advantages of growing kiwifruit are evident now, but initially, farmers were on the fence. Local official Yuan Chao, who is a farmer himself, found a way to ease their worries.
"I encouraged them to embrace the idea. Naturally, they would ask me, 'You promise me that I can earn 800 yuan an acre if I grow kiwifruit. What if I cannot?' I told them we would be fine because the government guarantees the profits. We can always go to them."
Apart from economic considerations, Yuan also thinks about the future of the region.
"Most of our youths are out for work, and therefore leave our land fallow and idle. Once we grow kiwifruit, they can come back and have their own businesses, in addition to what we can make from agritourism. Isn't this way better than before?"
What Yuan means by "agritourism" is a derivative industry developed from the kiwifruit industry. It aims to attract tourists by allowing them to pick kiwifruit themselves and enjoy the beautiful scenery around.
Fu Liangyong, deputy head of Huo Ju village in the region, says this smart thinking has started to produce results.
"We sold out our kiwifruit last year in a single week! Instead of going to the markets, customers came to our village and picked it all."
There are still ruins and wastelands in Ya'an, but most of them are starting to turn green. And the green is helping to provide more opportunities for local people.
