Stacks of cash totaling over 11 million yuan are neatly arranged as year-end bonus for farmers in Dinghu town, Anyi county, Jiangxi province, Jan 8, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
Stacks of cash totaling over 11 million yuan were neatly arranged on a table in a farmyard. The money was the year-end bonuses that Ling Jihe, a rural entrepreneur in Anyi county, Jiangxi province, was going to distribute to his contract farmers on Monday.
Li Laxiu and his wife Luo Qiuxiang, who cultivated 40 hectares of rice fields, received the largest share of 313,590 yuan from their employer Ling.
"Li, how does it feel to be the top bonus receiver?" asked the other farmers.
"Absolutely thrilled. This is all thanks to Ling's efforts and leading from the front," said Li.
This year marks the 13th consecutive year that Ling has handed out year-end bonuses to the farmers managing his fields and the total distributed bonuses have accumulated to 54 million yuan.
Ling Jihe (left), a rural entrepreneur, hands out year-end bonus in cash to a farmer in Dinghu town, Anyi county, Jiangxi province, Jan 8, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
Since returning to his hometown to start agriculture business, he has not only built entrepreneurial success, but also brought sizable fortune to the local farmers.
In 2010, Ling set up an agricultural company and rented land from local farmers, employing them for land cultivation. To enhance productivity and profitability, he has adopted modern agricultural management practices and integrated advanced technologies into field production.
Motivating his employees, Ling divided the contracted land into sections and assigned each farmer couple the responsibility for cultivating and managing a designated area. While receiving a monthly salary of 5,000 yuan during regular months, they were rewarded with bonuses at the year-end based on how much the yields surpassed production targets.
Li Laxiu (right) and his wife Luo Qiuxiang pose for pictures with their year-end bonus in cash in Dinghu town, Anyi county, Jiangxi province, Jan 8, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
In 2018, he formed a specialized agricultural service team to mechanize tasks such as seeding, planting, pest control, harvest, and drying. This shift allowed farmers to focus on field management.
Among them is a drone team consisting of 44 members. "In the past, my parents spent entire days laboring with heavy pesticide sprayers, covering just one or two mu. Now, I use drones for fertilizing and spraying pesticides, covering three to five hundred mu in a single day," said Wang Yesheng, a post-2000s drone flyer.
Over the years, Ling has also introduced high-quality seeds, upgraded agricultural facilities, collaborated with research institutions, built high-standard fields and trained professional farmers.
According to Ling, through pursuing modern agricultural practices and innovative management, rural revitalization holds promising prospects, ensuring food security and boosting income for farmers.
"This year, I aim to expand rice field by over 400 hectares and engage more farmers in my modern agriculture business," said Ling. Until now, Ling's company has contracted 4000 hectares of farmland and hired over 300 farmers with one hundred more expressing interest in joining.
