Drawn by the rich natural resources and supportive policies for young professionals, a 33-year-old entrepreneur from the Macao Special Administrative Region is making waves in Chinese mainland agriculture by standardizing a unique ecological farming model in neighboring Zhuhai, Guangdong province.
Lin Lin, general manager of Guangdong Hengqin Yuehe Biotechnology Co, left a banking career in Macao in 2021 to establish his agricultural venture.
Lin's company engages in cultivation of salt-tolerant rice, aquaculture, and the construction of marine ranches.
The company is building an integrated industrial chain focused on the shellfish industry that combines primary, secondary and tertiary sectors in Zhuhai's Jinwan district.
"We have a seedling farm of 13.33 hectares, a marine ranch of 2,000 hectares, as well as a 1.4-hectare processing plant that is currently under construction," Lin said.
The company also focuses on the co-culture of rice and rice worms, alongside greenhouse fruit and vegetable planting. "In terms of scale, our rice farming and breeding area covers 173 hectares, and the greenhouse area is nearly 27 hectares," he said.
After graduating from Macao University of Science and Technology, Lin initially worked at a bank in Macao and traveled frequently between Zhuhai and Macao on business. In 2021, he resigned to start his own company in Zhuhai.
"I remember a friend treated me to a meal of rice worms at that time. Unexpectedly, I fell in love with the dish at first taste," Lin said.
Since then, every time Lin wandered through the streets and alleys of Zhuhai, he couldn't stop thinking about the distinctive local delicacy. That experience inspired him to establish Guangdong Hengqin Yuehe Biotechnology Co.
Since rice worms are a relatively niche product, Lin's company focuses more on exploring the polyculture model of rice worms and rice, as well as worm breeding.
Lin said the main difficulty in rice worm farming lies in the failure to achieve artificial breeding in the early stages. The company conducted independent research to tackle this problem and finally made a breakthrough in breeding technology. "We also devoted considerable effort to figure out how to make good use of the growth cycle to achieve a bumper harvest of both rice and rice worms in their co-culture system," Lin said. "As a result, together with the Zhuhai agricultural development center, we formulated the first national standard for rice and rice worm co-culture."
In terms of the application of high-tech methods, Lin said his company has put them into practical use in large-scale farming and marine ranching.
"For example, we apply equipment such as drones, submersibles, electronic fences and radar to offshore management. In the agricultural planting sector, full mechanization has basically been achieved throughout the entire process," he said.
The company's main sales rely on large-scale distribution channels, and rice worms are sold through auction at the pond side. Having traversed China's southeastern coastal areas for years, Lin chose to conduct research on the "rice-worm symbiotic ecosystem" in Zhuhai.
Located at the confluence of saltwater and freshwater, Zhuhai is home to many unique species, making it highly suitable for agricultural entrepreneurship.
Lin said Macao is more international and has a more sophisticated market, but also has its limitations, such as limited space, relatively high costs and a somewhat concentrated industrial structure. By comparison, Zhuhai boasts broader development space and richer natural resources, making it more suitable for long-term industrial development.
"Zhuhai has introduced a series of special policies for young entrepreneurs from Macao in recent years. Overall, the city is very friendly to Macao youth who start businesses," he said.
The city has established innovation and entrepreneurship centers for young people from Hong Kong and Macao, along with dedicated incubation platforms and loans.
Lin said his company will continue to expand in Zhuhai.
"We have witnessed and benefited from the integrated development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in recent years," he said, adding: "I am highly optimistic about its future development potential. And in my view, the Greater Bay Area is also the best choice for young people from Hong Kong and Macao to start their own businesses."
