First, there are many business entities and miscellaneous brands, which is not conducive to the overall competitiveness of Pinghu watermelon. At present, in addition to the agricultural technology departments of brand watermelons and fine watermelons operated by Jinping Watermelon Professional Cooperative, some large professional households or industrial parks are also building their own brand marketing. There are more than 10 watermelon brands in industrial and commercial registration. Although there is a unified local production standard for watermelons, the fragmented production and marketing pattern of township enterprises brings great difficulties to unified management.
Second, the lack of popular consumer products and market development has affected the sales of Pinghu watermelon products and the expansion of sales areas. At present, Pinghu watermelon is mainly a small fruit variety with thin skin, crisp flesh and sweet juice, and its quality is sweet and crisp. However, the storage shelf life of commercial watermelon is short, and the operation pressure is great, so its consumption is positioned in the high-end boutique market. Moreover, the variety developed is single, and there is a lack of gradient product development to meet the needs of different consumption levels, which affects the sales volume and regional expansion of Pinghu high-quality brand watermelon.
Third, the increase in production costs has reduced the growth space of planting benefits and affected the enthusiasm of growers. In recent years, the rising prices of agricultural materials such as fertilizers, pesticides and steel, as well as the rising cost of land and labor, have made the planting cost of watermelon increase year by year. According to the survey, the average physical and chemical cost of watermelon planted in facilities in our city is about 2500 yuan/mu, which is more than one third higher than that three years ago. However, due to the pressure of market competition, the sales price of watermelon is basically maintained at the level of three years ago, although the output and quality of watermelon have been obviously improved through the implementation of technology and brand marketing in recent years, and the high quality and good price have also been reflected. However, compared with the rapidly rising production cost, the growth space of net income of watermelon planting is obviously reduced, and many melon farmers have begun to switch to other crops with relatively higher and more stable economic benefits. For example, in the past two years, the average output value of eggplant in greenhouse is more than 3000 yuan/mu higher than that of watermelon; Although asparagus in greenhouse has a large one-time investment, it can be put into production for many years at a time, with extensive production management and promising development prospects, and it has also become the first choice for many melon farmers.
Fourthly, the difficulty and high cost of land circulation restrict the large-scale cultivation of watermelon. At present, the production of high-quality watermelon in our city has shown a large-scale development trend. Watermelon is not suitable for continuous cropping because of its special growth habit, so it needs to be changed every year to ensure its yield and quality. Therefore, in the process of crop rotation, the first problem faced by growers is that land transfer, especially piece-by-piece transfer, is becoming more and more difficult, watermelon planting is difficult to develop, and large-scale planting is even more difficult; Secondly, the circulation price is rising year by year. At present, the average price of circulation in the whole city has risen from more than 300 yuan per mu three years ago to 600 yuan or even higher, which virtually increases the cost of watermelon planting. It is necessary to strengthen the support of watermelon scientific and technological research, brand integration, product promotion and professional cooperative organizations, cultivate and expand industrial leaders, promote the industrialized operation of watermelon, and strengthen and expand industrial characteristics.
First, integrate brand resources and increase brand promotion and protection. Pinghu watermelon has actively implemented the brand promotion strategy in recent years and achieved certain results. Pinghu watermelon, represented by Jinping Lake and satellite brands, was registered and protected by national geographical indications in 2005, and its popularity in the consumer market and product credibility were significantly improved. Our city should take this opportunity to integrate the existing high-quality watermelon brands and learn from the parent-child trademark management experience of Wenling watermelon, Anji white tea and other products in concrete practice. Focus on Pinghu watermelon regional brand, highlight product characteristics and regional advantages, form overall advantages, strengthen industrial characteristics, further increase brand promotion, strengthen brand protection and maintain brand reputation.
The second is to speed up land circulation, encourage the development of moderate scale operation and promote industrial agglomeration. In recent years, Pinghu watermelon has actively taken the road of large-scale and brand development, and cultivated a number of large watermelon operators with excellent technology, profound knowledge and innovation, which laid a good foundation for the industrialization of Pinghu watermelon. City, town and village levels should take cultivating characteristic industries and speeding up the construction of one village and one product as the carrier, actively assist the land transfer work, and solve the land transfer problem of large-scale watermelon planting households in time; Urban finance should increase support for moderate scale operation and accelerate industrial agglomeration.
The third is to improve the scientific and technological content and increase the popularization and application of three new technologies. Facing the rapid development of science and technology and increasingly fierce market competition, agricultural technology departments should increase the introduction and development of new watermelon varieties and the demonstration, application and popularization of high-efficiency ecological technologies such as long-season cultivation in protected areas, bee pollination, physical and biological control, accelerate the scientific and technological innovation of watermelon, further improve the scientific and technological content and market competitiveness of Pinghu watermelon products, and provide technical guarantee for the healthy and sustainable development of the industry. At the same time, actively research and develop gradient products suitable for different consumption levels to meet the diversified consumer market demand, expand market sales and increase the income of melon farmers.
The fourth is to standardize the management of production and marketing and improve the level of industrial development. With standardization as the carrier and professional watermelon cooperatives as the service platform, we will strengthen the management of production and sales of Pinghu watermelons, further standardize their production and sales, actively use modern information technology, develop and establish a feasible product quality traceability system, improve and guarantee the quality of Pinghu watermelons, start the product brand, win the market by quality, expand the market by brand, and further enhance the development level of Pinghu watermelon industry.