"With the backing of 'Insurance + Futures,' I feel more at ease."

Hot Topics

Self-selected Stocks Data Center Market Center Capital Flows Simulated Trading

Client

In Zepu County, Kashgar Prefecture, Xinjiang, two farmers’ cooperatives once “made and lost money, with no clear idea in their minds” amid fluctuations in red date prices. Since they joined the “Insurance + Futures” income insurance project for red dates supported by Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange, launched by Hua’an Futures, Galaxy Futures, and PICC Property & Casualty, they have not only gained “steady happiness” but are also planning bigger business moves.

Kunlun North Slope Farmers’ Cooperative

One day at the end of 2025, in Piya Village, Kuiyibag Township, Zepu County, Liu Fujun, head of Kunlun North Slope Farmers’ Cooperative, received over 150k yuan in compensation, which was the payout for the signed red date “Insurance + Futures” income insurance project.

After the funds arrived, Liu Fujun immediately picked up the phone to notify the farmers waiting to rent land, saying, “The money has arrived, come to the cooperative to sign tomorrow.” Standing by the window after hanging up, Liu Fujun looked at the date grove outside. A year ago, he had just lost more than 2 million yuan, couldn’t sleep all night, and even had a thought: should I cut down all these date trees?

“Zepu County has good water and soil, plenty of sunlight, and large temperature differences between day and night. The red dates we grow are large, thick, and high in sugar content, with top quality,” Liu Fujun said. But in previous years, his biggest headache was the unstable price of red dates—“profit one year, loss the next, with no clear idea in his mind.”

In 2025, staff from PICC Property & Casualty Zepu Branch first visited and introduced the new “Insurance + Futures” income insurance for red dates to the cooperative. Liu Fujun immediately signed up with the farmers, “At first, everyone didn’t understand what ‘Insurance + Futures’ was.” Later, staff from Hua’an Futures, Galaxy Futures, and PICC Property & Casualty came to the cooperative, sat in the date orchard, and at farmers’ doorsteps, repeatedly explained in understandable terms.

That year, Kunlun North Slope Farmers’ Cooperative insured over 2,400 acres of red dates, paying over 150k yuan in premiums. During the project period, the market price of red dates plummeted, and due to high temperatures and strong winds, yields also decreased. When these conditions met the criteria for a claim under the agreement, Kunlun North Slope Farmers’ Cooperative received the payout of over 1.2 million yuan as scheduled. “This payout really came just in time!” Liu Fujun said. “With this money, we not only paid off land rent and labor costs for all farmers but also invested part of it in upgrading processing equipment, which improved efficiency significantly compared to previous years, and the quality has also greatly improved.”

Lìnóng Fruit Farmers’ Cooperative

Also at the end of 2025, the bank account of Zepu County Lìnóng Fruit Farmers’ Cooperative received a payout of 1.24 million yuan from the red date “Insurance + Futures” income insurance project.

“I’ve been wanting to expand my planting scale over the years, to lead my fellow villagers in planting dates and getting rich together,” said Yang Youji, the cooperative’s leader. But in recent years, the large fluctuations in red date prices, coupled with the need for substantial capital to expand, made him hesitant to increase production.

At Lìnóng Fruit Farmers’ Cooperative, Yang Youji not only signed up himself for the red date “Insurance + Futures” income insurance project but also took the initiative to be a “promoter.” Many of the cooperative’s members are Uighur farmers who don’t speak Chinese very well. Yang Youji and project staff went door-to-door, translating insurance terms and claim procedures into Uighur, explaining repeatedly until everyone understood.

The 1.24 million yuan payout to Lìnóng Fruit Farmers’ Cooperative was 7.88 times the self-paid premium. “This payout came just in time!” Yang Youji said. He used the money to expand the processing plant, adding red date sorting machines, dryers, and other equipment. He also allocated part of the funds to provide free fertilizer and pesticides to farmers and invited technicians to offer on-site guidance for scientific cultivation.

Yang Youji said that this year, the cooperative purchased over 1,000 tons of red dates, which after preliminary processing, were sold to Hubei, Guangzhou, and other places, with “orders in short supply.” “We also used rural e-commerce services to sell dates nationwide, increasing sales by 30% compared to last year. If this had happened before, we wouldn’t even dare to think about it,” he said.

Now, the leaders of both cooperatives are planning bigger moves.

Liu Fujun plans to expand planting by several hundred acres next year, build a standardized red date base, and shift toward deep processing—producing dried dates and date powder to increase added value. “We also want to broaden sales channels, use e-commerce platforms to sell Zepu’s high-quality dates nationwide, and build the Kunlun North Slope red date brand, making the date trees truly our ‘trees of prosperity’ and ‘evergreen trees.’”

Yang Youji’s blueprint includes the words “ethnic unity.” He plans to mobilize surrounding minority farmers to transfer land collectively, adding 300 acres of standardized planting land, providing seedlings, technology, and management services uniformly, “so that all ethnic groups can plant dates and get rich together.”

“With the backing of ‘Insurance + Futures,’ I feel more at ease,” Yang Youji said.