Du'an develops sheep breeding industry to bolster economy

Du'an Aohan Sheep Breeding Base. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

In recent years, Hechi's Du'an Yao autonomous county has promoted the high-quality development of the Aohan sheep industry from the aspects of breeding, slaughtering, processing, logistics, branding, and sales.

Aohan sheep is a cross-breed of high-end Australian mutton sheep breeds. It has the characteristics of high reproduction rates, fast growth rates, high meat production rates, good meat quality, and easy to feed. Du'an is located in the mountainous area of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, with advantages like abundant grass resources and convenient transportation in the urban area to develop its sheep industry.

The county has completed an investment of 360 million yuan ($54.1 million) to build an Aohan sheep industrial park, covering an area of more than 1,300 mu, as well as over 20 Aohan sheep breeding centers. It has gradually formed an industrial chain spanning breeding bases, fattening bases, cold chain processing plants, and feed processing plants.

By the end of 2021, there were 670,000 mutton sheep in the county, including about 210,000 Aohan sheep, with an output value of about 193 million yuan, benefiting more than 200,000 people.

Luo Xingxiang, deputy director of the local agriculture and rural affairs bureau, said that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), Du'an is focusing on the development of advantageous industries, such as Aahan sheep, as well as bolstering the industrialization, scale, and branding of its agriculture industries.

Luo added that the Aohan sheep industry will allow more farmers to share the value-added benefits in the development of the entire industry chain and promote rural vitalization efforts.