To make a great article on the local specialty of star anise, Funing is doing it this way...

In recent years, Funing County has deeply studied and understood General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourse on the work related to agriculture, rural areas, and farmers. It has earnestly implemented the provincial party committee's "3815" strategic development goals and the three-year action plan for agricultural modernization. The county continues to focus on "local specialties," making efforts to develop the star anise industry as the "one county, one industry" initiative, and is fully promoting the high-quality development of the star anise industry. In 2023, the planting area of star anise in the county reached 708,000 acres, making it the core production area for star anise in the state and province, accounting for 56.4% of the total area of economic forests in the county, 77.0% of the star anise planting area in the state, 69.8% in the province, and 11.3% nationwide. The fresh star anise fruit yield was 152,000 tons, with an agricultural output value of 1.824 billion yuan, and the average income of star anise growers was 28,000 yuan. Star anise has become the pillar industry in the county with the longest planting time, largest area, widest coverage, highest output value, and strongest contribution to increasing farmers' income.

Rooting in local specialties

First, adhere to party building leadership.The county party committee and county government have established a leading group for the star anise industry, researching and formulating support measures, and coordinating the planning, land services, technical training, and other work for the star anise industry. Towns and villages (communities) are guided by party branches to establish collective economic companies or cooperatives, further enhancing the organizational level of the industry and strengthening the connections among enterprises, professional cooperatives, bases, and farmers, effectively improving the planting, harvesting, processing, and sales management levels and organizational capacity of forest farmers, as well as their ability to resist risks.Second, based on local resources.Continuously carry out the collection of germplasm resources and the selection and approval of good varieties. On the basis of establishing a protective nursery and planting demonstration base for star anise, vigorously implement and promote the technology for transforming low-efficiency forests, comprehensively increasing star anise yield. At the same time, actively develop the under-forest economy of star anise, creating a production and operation model of "under-forest planting + breeding" to improve land use efficiency and increase agricultural and forestry economic returns.Third, strengthen leading enterprises.Increase efforts to attract investment, introduce a number of star anise processing enterprises, and overall enhance the processing level of Funing's star anise industry. Strengthen the cultivation of local enterprises, introduce or develop new technologies and equipment, and accelerate the mechanization and intelligence of star anise production. Accelerate the cultivation of a number of specialized, innovative, and competitive enterprises with strong growth potential and local demonstration roles, setting benchmarks to guide and drive the rapid growth of Funing's star anise enterprises.

Making solid progress in specialty products

First, strengthen technological efficiency.Vigorously cultivate a group of local star anise talents and introduce a batch of professional technical talents for star anise. Deepen close cooperation among government, enterprises, research institutions, and universities, build a technological innovation platform, strengthen the basic research on the functional components and efficacy mechanisms of Funing star anise, increase the research and promotion of new technologies, new processes, and new products, and improve the conversion rate of scientific and technological achievements. At the same time, establish and improve a standardized production management system based on national, industry, and local standards, with enterprise standards implemented simultaneously, ensuring product quality throughout the process and enhancing product quality rates.Second, increase financial support.Form a joint party-building entity for the star anise industry among government, banks, and enterprises, and collaborate with financial institutions to launch star anise financial products, effectively addressing the funding needs of the public in various aspects of star anise planting, processing, and trading; develop exclusive insurance products, embedding insurance services into the entire star anise industry chain, forming a development pattern supported by finance and safeguarded by insurance.Third, create a brand image.Adopt a comprehensive online and offline promotion approach to boost the "Funing Star Anise" brand. Promote the geographical indication certification trademark and corporate brand of "Funing Star Anise" vigorously through live streaming, public accounts, and other internet platforms, as well as in scenic areas, high-speed rail, and public spaces, at agricultural trade fairs, and agricultural expos, enhancing the visibility of "Funing Star Anise." Accelerate the application for geographical indication products, solidly carry out the application and certification work for "three products and one standard," and strive to include star anise in the provincial-level overall planning, development, and management. Use various forms to connect with key national markets, enterprises, and terminals, sign direct supply agreements, develop long-term stable sales markets, and expand the influence of "Funing Star Anise."

Forming production-related articles

First, improve the benefit connection mechanism.Adopt a development model of "party organization + cooperative + company + base + farmer," steadily advancing the "4 five-cent" basis for order purchasing, exploring and implementing models such as "541" and "85:15" for low-efficiency forest transformation, and building a number of efficient and characteristic demonstration bases to achieve a win-win situation for farmers' income increase, cooperative development, village collective economic growth, and company profitability.Second, extend the industrial chain.Focus on "a bottle of oil, a jar of wine, a table of dishes, a bar of soap, a set of cosmetics," and carry out related industries such as star anise product research and development, packaging, design, promotion, and sales, guiding production factors such as capital, technology, raw materials, talent, and research to gather in industrial parks, and effectively create a narrative of "a small star anise can leverage a large industry."Third, integrate agriculture, culture, and tourism.Build a Funing star anise trading center, hold the China Farmers' Harvest Festival and Star Anise Picking Festival, develop themed embroidery, star anise bonsai, and other tourism products, and construct supporting facilities such as star anise handicraft experience workshops, star anise cultural exhibition halls, and a ten-mile ancient tree corridor of star anise, creating a number of demonstration streets and scenic routes centered around "Funing Star Anise." Develop rural tourism, extend the star anise industrial chain, and build a modern industrial system for star anise with deep integration of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries. Improve the construction of a digital platform for star anise, exploring the establishment of a Chinese star anise digital platform system that integrates 5G smart farms, smart factories, and smart trading platforms, empowering industrial development with digital technology and promoting the high-end and intelligent development of the industry.

In 2024, Funing County will focus on building a complete industrial chain for Funing star anise, solidly achieving new results in the article of Funing star anise "local specialties." Following the idea of "large industry + new entities + new platforms," with the focus on "grasping green, creating brands, nurturing leading enterprises, occupying markets, building platforms, and solving problems," through "green efficiency, optimizing primary production," "processing value-added, strengthening secondary production," and "integrated development, enlarging tertiary production," Funing will be built into an ecological health and high-quality star anise specialty agricultural product advantage area; become a nationally recognized high-quality star anise supply base with distinct characteristics and concentrated advantages; and create a demonstration park for agricultural industry integration empowered by culture and tourism.