Today, wine grape cultivation has turned the wasteland into an oasis in the eastern foothill of Helan Mountain. The greening of the winery and the construction of shelterbelts have greatly increased the forest coverage of the production area. The "shallow trench planting" of vineyards has become the largest water and soil storage here. Here, the concept of "clear waters and green mountains are as valuable as mountains of gold and silver" continues to show its significance.
Located at the southernmost tip of the production area, Hongsibao was once an ancient wasteland. Since 2007, the planting area of wine grapes has reached 106,000 mu (7,066 hectares), and the average annual income of farmers planting grapes is 40,000 yuan, and the number of employment has been 80,000.
To this end, 41 top-level academics were hired as experts by the committee of the pilot zone in a round table meeting on July 9 in the region's capital city Yinchuan. Discussions and exchanges on building a wine industry, cultural, discourse system and intellectual support, prompted 13 consensuses on promoting Ningxia wine into high-quality development.
"The blueprint for the development of the wine industry drawn by Ningxia is exciting and full of expectations. From 28 billion to a breakthrough of 100 billion, Ningxia has courage, and its ambition to catch up with the world's advanced level is admirable. It is conceivable that in the near future, Helan Mountain is bound to be a magnificent scene of orchards next to orchards, wineries and wineries," says Tim Knox, counselor of the New Zealand Embassy in China.
