Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
JINAN, March 1 (Xinhua) — "I never thought that with my seedling grafting skills I could go abroad to work," Wu Fenxia, 41, a resident of Wanfeng Township, Shenxian County, eastern China's Shandong Province, said by phone.
This year, on the fifth day of the first month of the lunar calendar (February 21), she, taking her usual tools, went with colleagues from Shandong to the greenhouse complex of one of the agricultural parks in the Irkutsk region of Russia to graft cucumber seedlings.
This is her third trip to Russia to earn money. This time, she specifically packed peanuts grown in her garden. "To create a homey, festive spirit," she notes.
Shenxian County, located in western Shandong Province, is a major vegetable producer in China. The rapid development of vegetable farming not only effectively stimulates the local economy but also creates and develops the profession of "grafting."
In 2018, Wu Fenxia attended free vaccination courses organized in the village and mastered the skill.
"I used to only see people flying on airplanes on TV, but now I can fly abroad myself. With good skills, you can keep your head up wherever you go," she says.
Wu Fenxia spends less than 10 seconds grafting a single seedling, with a survival rate of around 95% year-round. "Foreigners once asked me through a translator if this kind of grafting was Chinese kung fu," she says with amusement.
Successful grafting improves crop resistance to diseases and pests, increases yields, helps speed up the market availability of melons and vegetables, and, most importantly, ensures year-round vegetable availability. Currently, Shenxian County has over 30,000 grafting specialists, capable of grafting up to 1.5 billion seedlings annually.
Working in local nurseries, grafting specialists also fulfill orders from across China and the world, transforming agricultural labor into a "transnational business." According to Kong Hongxia, head of the Shenxian County Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, local authorities are directing labor export teams to establish recruitment agencies that, based on the needs of seedling-growing companies, operate under a "company order – recruitment agency" model, turning the grafting profession into a specialized local brand.
Kang Jinhua, the team leader of Wu Fenxia's grafting team, explains, "In 2017, an agricultural park in Russia contacted us through a recruiting agency and proposed cooperation." For many years, this team has been sending its members to Russia annually to graft melon seedlings. During peak periods, up to forty to fifty grafting specialists traveled abroad. They visited Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other cities, earning a good reputation and forming friendships with their Russian colleagues.
When a trade used to make a living becomes a gateway to travel abroad, grafting specialists from western Shandong not only bring Chinese agricultural technologies to the world but also experience the wider world firsthand. "When people ask me what I'm doing now, I proudly answer: 'I'm using Chinese technology and grafting melon seedlings in Russia,'" says Wu Fenxia. -0-
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