Tan Minfei, a 29-year-old man from an ordinary farmer’s family in Nancun Village, Daping Town, Rucheng County, has had a special affection for the countryside since childhood. After graduating from junior high school, he studied technology with his friends out of hometown for several years. The fact made him sad that many young and middle-aged people in his hometown chose to go out for work leaving large swaths of deserted fields. At the age of 18, he decided to return to the countryside and devote himself to agriculture by exerting his wisdom and working hard in the fields.

 

Tan Minfei’s parents, who had been farmers all their lives, disapproved of his return as a farmer at first. However, Tan Minfei is hardworking and diligent. In the busy farming season, he often worked with his parents from dawn to night and sometimes had to clear the leaves and trash in the ditches at midnight to make sure the smooth irrigation.

 

Farmland contracted by Tan Minfei

 

After years of persistence and efforts, the transferred land of 30 mu (2 hectares) for rice at the beginning has been expanded to a large stretch of farmland for rice, ginger, corn, pepper, star fruit, and Nai plum, etc. Yongcheng Family Farm, founded in 2017 by Tan Minfei and his father, was also named a provincial model family farm last year.

 

As a farmer born in 1990s, Tan Minfei invested nearly 2 million yuan in agricultural machinery so he had to seek credit aid from bank. Guaranteed by the government, Rucheng Branch of Hunan Rural Commercial Bank provided him with 1.1 million yuan of loans in the form of “agricultural guarantee loan” in five years, and gave preferential interest rates.

 

With the bank funds in place, the production and operation were steadily advanced. Tan Minfei has purchased plant protection UAV, rice transplanter, large tractors, rotary cultivator and dryer and other equipment, and become a technical expert in operating the machinery through self-learning.

 

Tan Minfei carries out second round of ploughing with the machinery he bought.

 

Makeshift vegetable greenhouses are under construction.

 

Larger scale agricultural activities have provided numerous jobs opportunities for neighbors. There are hundreds of people working in his farmland on the busiest days and 40 to 50 people in off-season.

 

Tan Minfei said that he loved this land so whenever encountering something unhappy, he would run through the fields and mountains to breathe fresh air and forget all the troubles.