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She may be just a member of a pea production and marketing Cooperativeerativeerative, in Beijing, who first got into pea purchasing and sales in 1997, but she still insists on sharing a large part of her interest with other Cooperativeerative members, and has in fact benefitted 4,000 households in the region by helping them increase their income.
Zhang Tao, 41, is the director of the Rongtao Pea Production and Marketing Cooperativeerativeerative and is referred to as the "Pea Queen" thanks to her extensive research in industrial chains, hybrid seeds, promotion, planting, processing and marketing.
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Zhang Tao, the "Pea Queen" from Beijing, sitting at her desk. [Photo/bjby.bjwmb.gov.cn] |
Over just the past few years, rebates going to the Cooperativeerative members went from several 10,000 yuan to 7-million yuan ($1.13 million) in 2014 and more than 20 million yuan since the Cooperativeerative was established.
Zhang did nothing but buy and sell peas for five years, then she registered a company in 2002 and asked pea experts from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences to try some trial planting on a field under contract. That was followed by more experiments, until pea output per hectare went from 1,500 kg to 4,500 kg, solving a local supply problem and cutting costs.
In 2004, Zhang began organizing growers in the surrounding villages. She offered seeds from her company and asked agronomists for theoretical and technical advice with the fields. Her efforts increased output value to 30,000 yuan per hectare. She explains that "Integrity, branding and giving back to society" is the principle that she's followed for years.
In 2008, Zhang registered Rongtao pea as a special Cooperativeerativeerative and signed contracts with local pea growers, promising to share 90 percent of annual profit. While since market conditions weren't all that great that year, with just a few 10,000s coming to the Cooperativeerative. So, Zhang handed out everything they earned to Cooperativeerative members and bore the operating and management costs herself.
At last, her integrity earned her a whole lot more – it got her trust and confidence -- and more farmers joining the Cooperativeerativeerative.
Then, two years later, they built a 1,100-square-meter production shop with 6.5 million yuan to form a chain of research, planting, promotion, processing and marketing. And, by focusing on management, the Cooperativeerativeerative combined manufacturing and marketing, and got IS09001 Quality Management certification.Now there are pea cakes, broad bean cakes and other products sold all over the country.
The Cooperativeerativeerative has 527 members, 4,000 growers around Beijing and in Hebei province. Its 10,000-hectare planting area produces more than 8,000 tons, worth 65 million yuan. And the Rongtao Cooperativeerativeerative and Zhang Tao have won awards for their work.
Zhang concludes by saying, "Giving back to fellow villagers and helping them acquire wealth has been my dream since I was young, and I'll enlarge the Cooperativeerative and lead more people towards affluence."
