The collective operating income of the villages in Hailing district – located in Taizhou city, in East China's Jiangsu province – hit 305 million yuan ($42.51 million) last year.
That came in the wake of its adoption of measures to boost its collective economy in recent years.
"Our collective farm was put into operation last year and it helped increase the village collective's income by 562,000 yuan," said Ji Weiying, Party chief of Shuanglie village, which has more than 1,600 residents.
"The land transfer fee for farmers was raised from 750 yuan per mu (0.07 hectares) to 900 yuan per mu," Ji added.
A sign promotes the collective farm of Shuanglie village in Taizhou's Hailing district. [Photo/WeChat account: weihailing0523]
Not so long ago Shuanglie village, which boasts 3,607 mu of farmland and aquaculture area of 1,550 mu, neither had an industrial enterprise nor specialized agricultural projects. As a result, it didn't have a stable income from assets.
But in 2021, a farmland project was established there and local water conservation facilities were improved. These initiatives made the locals realize that it was necessary to develop a collective economy.
Nowadays, the farmers are being encouraged to rent their land to the village collective or big grain producers. These, in turn, promote intensive planting and bolster the efficient utilization of the farmland.
In addition, Hailing is calling on its villages and rural communities to leverage their idle collective resources. Beima community in the district's eastern area, for one, is a prime model of this.
The community received more than 20 million yuan in compensation for a land acquisition project in 2003, after which its collective built standardized factory buildings and shops for rent. Rentals from them brought in a collective an income of 10.5 million yuan in 2022.