Aquatic products help turn the tide financially

Sun Hongling visits hundreds of fish ponds every year to help local farmers enhance the quality and quantity of the fish, shrimp and crab they raise. The 54-year-old technician is one of thousands of grassroots experts engaged in developing the agricultural and fishery industries of Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

"My job is to help farmers know government policies such as financial support, promote fish production and provide information on technology and equipment acquisition," says Sun, head of a team of technicians in Xingqing district of Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia.

Due to industrial pollution and adverse natural conditions such as drought, the local fishery had not been developing well in the past. However, there has been improvement in the past decade, with more and more advanced ponds and tanks built in this area. In addition to fish, farmers now produce shrimps and crabs.

"Our team also helps farmers improve the quality of their aquatic products through providing good feed and medical advice," says Sun.

Many farmers have adopted a recycling mechanism which combines fish raising with vegetable growing, greatly economizing on water use.

By sending more than 3,800 technicians across the region, Ningxia has carried out 200 projects to raise agricultural production, benefiting 120,000 farmers, according to local officials.