Farmers in east China’s Jiangsu province are busy harvesting seasonal fruits to carve out a path to income growth and prosperity. Let’s take a close look.
“I am currently in the one-thousand-mu pear orchard in Hengbei Village, Dafeng District, Yancheng City. The branches are heavy with pears, the early maturing variety Sucui No.1, which tastes particularly crispy and sweet, with thin skin and plenty of juice, making it delicious. These pears will be shipped to various parts of the country through logistics and become a delicacy on everyone's tip of the tongue”, Wu Yingxuan, JSBC staff reporter, said.
Hengbei Village has a pear-planting history of nearly 60 years. In recent years, the village administration has established a technical service team to provide full process services for the planting and sales of pears. The village’s Party Secretary has taken the lead in conducting live streaming and sales promotion to expand sales.
The pears, with improving quality and market competitiveness, have won many honors such as national famous and high-quality new agricultural products, becoming the "fruit of prosperity" for the villagers.
“Generally speaking, one mu can produce 1500 kilograms of pears, priced at around 15 yuan per kilogram. The sales of pears this year are very good, and I am particularly happy”, Cao Manjin, a villager from Hengbei Village, Dafeng District, Yancheng City, said.
“The villagers recorded a per capita net income of 37300 yuan, with 25100 yuan coming from the sale of pears. This year, we plan to distribute the seedlings of Sucui No.1 pear for free to the villagers so as to encourage them to use the land in front and behind their homes to plant the pear, which not only beautifies the environment but also drives income growth”, Li Xiaoxia, Secretary of the Party Committee of Hengbei Village, Dafeng District, Yancheng City, said.
As the temperature rises, fruits and melons in various parts of Jiangsu are gradually maturing, and the fields are filled with the joy of a bountiful harvest.
At the Grape Cooperative Sorting Center in Dingzhuang, Jurong County, clusters of freshly harvested Jufeng grapes were pruned, weighed, and packaged before being shipped to Southeast Asia. Dingzhuang grapes were exported once a week, with a volume of about 2 tons each time.
In the Yazhou Modern Agricultural Park in Hai'an County, tourists from the surrounding areas come to pick the dragon fruit which is in its prime season. In the orchard of Yangzhuang Village, Liulaozhuang Town, Huai'an City, yellow peaches were hanging all over the branches and farmers were busy picking the ripe yellow peaches early in the morning so as to ship them as soon as possible.
“We have been harvesting yellow peaches since the end of May till early November. Judging from the current yield per mu, we can generate an income of around 15000 yuan per mu of land”, Zhang Fei, a yellow peach grower in Yangzhuang Village, Liulaozhuang Town, Huai'an City, said.
With the support of innovative planting techniques, many new varieties have been cultivated in various parts of Jiangsu, resulting in better fruit quality and taste.
In the greenhouse of the Suqian Research Institute of Nanjing Agricultural University, the lush vines are covered with red Chinese wolf berry tomatoes.
Technicians say that during cultivation, the scions of tomatoes are grafted onto the rootstock of goji berries. Although the fruit is slightly smaller than the virgin fruit, it has a dual flavor of tomato and Chinese wolf berry berries in its taste.
In the intelligent sightseeing greenhouse of a farmer's expo park in Xiangshui County, a pair of "cute" big pumpkins can grow at a speed of about 8 catties every day.
“Our Jiufeng Giant Pumpkin is bred from outer space. After nearly 5 months of cultivation, this pumpkin can reach around 500 catties, and some individual pumpkin kings can reach around 700 catties”, Zhang Guojun, Production Manager of Dadi Jiufeng Agricultural Expo Park in Xiangshui County, said.
