Growing from seven households under a tree, Panzhihua in southwestern Sichuan province has grown to become home of the country's first integrated large-sized iron and steel enterprise, covering an area of 2.5 square kilometers in Southwest China, and is now dubbed a "heroic city".

With a population of 1.2 million consisting of 44 ethnic groups, the prefecture-level city now administers three districts (Xiqu, Dongqu and Renhe) and two counties (Miyi and Yanbian), and is working to lift farmer incomes through specialty agriculture and good operations.

Mayor Fan Jiyue promised in January to increase the per capita disposable income of rural residents this year by at least 7 percent year-on-year, with the city's output value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery reaching 14.276 billion yuan ($1.96 billion) in the first three quarters, an annual hike of 4.2 percent.

"Our city focuses on three aspects — improving the quality of agricultural industries, creating beautiful and livable rural areas, and increasing farmers' incomes and wealth," said Long Yong, a vice-mayor, adding: "We aim to make their specialty agriculture 'thrive', the rural environment 'beautiful', and farmers' pockets 'full'."

Boosting specialty agriculture is a priority, said Li Bin, director of the city's agriculture and rural affairs bureau, noting that the largest strawberry base in Zhongba town in Renhe attracts merchants every day to shop in its 80 hectares of strawberries, and 533 hectares of "early marketing" loquats in Bajiaoqing village under Miyi are entering the market, while 11.7 hectares of blueberries in Jinhe village under Yanbian are ripening.

Li said that to develop its specialty agriculture, Panzhihua has focused on building a "4+1" modern agricultural industrial system, covering Panzhihua grain, fruit, vegetables, livestock and flowers, with the construction of modern agricultural parks as the carrier.

Currently, Panzhihua fruit and vegetables have become two influential characteristic industrial clusters in Sichuan, and Panzhihua fruit is also exported to more than 20 countries and regions such as Russia, Malaysia and Singapore, he said.

To create a livable environment in beautiful villages, the city has also assigned 200 million yuan as award-in-lieu-of-subsidy funds to construct 100 model villages between 2023 and 2030, with 16 already done, Long said.

"A leisurely stroll through the countryside can gain a view of a colorful rural landscape," he added.

In addition, the city is also cultivating 13 types of rural wealth-creation communities to broaden cash-generating channels for farmers and promote their prosperity, achieving a win-win situation for farmers, village collectives and social capital, Li said.

Xie Fangkui, general manager of Panzhihua Nongyida Youth Entrepreneurship Agricultural Development Co Ltd — which is the operating entity of the Gongfu Industry Alliance in Geliping town in Xiqu district — said: "This year, we expect the alliance's operating income to reach 80 million yuan, connecting 70 households and increasing their per capita income by 2,500 yuan."

Xie stressed that nearly 2,000 hectares of demonstration bases for planting and breeding mangoes, green peppers, grapes, yams, alpine vegetables and Dangdang chickens have been established, driving a cumulative sales volume of 100 million yuan for agricultural products from various villages.

Miyi county's wealth-creation model has attracted 43 agricultural materials enterprises as well as over 1,300 farmer households.

"The traditional agricultural material sales model resulted in excessively high prices, while our farm needed to hire additional personnel to handle agricultural materials. Last year, our farm's agricultural material costs alone reached nearly 960,000 yuan, greatly cutting our profit margin," said He Shibo, owner of the Erniu Family Farm in Wanqiu Yi ethnic town in Miyi.

The new model has helped his farm to save nearly 190,000 yuan this year, he added.

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