Chongqing – The 5th Chongqing Fengjie Orange Expo is set for January 5, 2024, at Guanyinqiao Business Circle. The 3-day event will present a showcase and sales extravaganza unfolding at Guanyinqiao Plaza, said a press conference on December 22.
Hu Yunqing, a Standing Committee Member of the CPC Fengjie County Committee and Executive Deputy Mayor of Fengjie County said that Fengjie is one of the world’s eight major ecological zones for navel oranges and a core production area for high-quality navel oranges in China.
Fengjie navel oranges are famous for their “upright fruit shape, orange-red color” form and unique flavor of “rich nutrition, moderate acidity, and sweetness, crispy and tender residue, and strong orange aroma.” The fruit skin is medium thick, crispy, and easy to peel.
Fengjie County is committed to promoting the scale, standardization, branding, marketization, digitization, and scenic development of the navel orange industry to drive high-quality industry development.
Fengjie Navel Orange. (Photo/Fengjie County)
Pioneering China’s fresh-selling navel orange brand
Fengjie County partners with Southwest University Citrus Research Institute, leveraging the National Citrus Industry Technology System. They’ve created the Fengjie Navel Orange tech innovation center, emphasizing independent cultivation, selective introduction, and variety rejuvenation. The system includes early, mid, and late-season oranges, encompassing 100% of premium varieties.
Fengjie has implemented standardized planting techniques for navel oranges, incorporating soil testing, organic fertilizer substitution for chemical fertilizers, and environmentally friendly pest control. The county has established high-quality navel orange bases covering 300,000 acres.
Utilizing big data and intelligent technology, Fengjie has developed a navel orange quality traceability management system, ensuring an 80% premium fruit rate and a stable safety testing pass rate of over 99%. The county has promoted tree preservation techniques on 260,000 acres, creating the largest national navel orange fresh sales center.
Moving forward, the county plans to apply efficient cultivation techniques extensively, aiming to increase the premium fruit rate to over 85% and achieve an average yield of around 2,000 kilograms per acre.
Intelligent sorting equipment for Fengjie navel oranges. (Photo/Fengjie County)
Hu added that Fengjie aims to establish the first brand of fresh-selling navel oranges in China. Through festival marketing, Fengjie has organized over 50 Cultural Festivals, Opening Ceremonies, and Orange Expos dedicated to Fengjie Navel Oranges in central urban areas of Chongqing, Beijing, Shanghai, and other locations nationwide.
Southwest’s largest fruit and vegetable trading and processing hub
Fengjie County, led by its Deputy Mayor Yi Yawen, signed a 3 billion yuan agreement with Beijing Huiyuan Group on November 16. The collaboration aims to establish a direct procurement base for Fengjie Navel Oranges, expand exports, and construct a canned juice production plant, a fruit and vegetable trading market, and a smart cold storage facility, reinforcing various aspects of the industry chain.
Once the project reaches full production, it is expected to achieve an annual output value of 2 billion yuan, annual tax revenue of 100 million yuan (about USD 13.99 million), and provide over 3,000 jobs.
It will also become the Southwest region’s largest fruit and vegetable trading and processing base. Processed products will be exported to Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, and other regions, continuously enhancing the brand’s value.
The navel orange industry is a crucial pillar for Fengjie County, playing a significant role in rural revitalization and enhancing farmers’ income, said Hu. The annual income for farmers in the county totals around 2.3 billion yuan (about USD 321.88 million), benefiting approximately 300,000 fruit growers who enjoy stable income sources.
Fengjie Navel Orange Orchard. (Photo/Kuang Jian)
