Quzhou citrus fruits become growing rural industry

A farmer harvests Changshan Huyou fruit in an orchard. [Photo/Quzhou Daily]

Changshan county in Quzhou, Zhejiang province, is using smart agriculture and food processing to develop its citrus industry, centered on Changshan Huyou and Yuzu, while increasing growers' incomes.

Changshan Huyou, a citrus hybrid combining sour orange and pomelo that is unique to the county, has been cultivated locally for at least 600 years. Yuzu, a citrus fruit, was introduced to Changshan from Japan in 2015.

At Zhejiang Aijia Food Co's organic Changshan Huyou orchard in Tonggong township, more than 133 hectares are equipped with systems that monitor temperature, humidity, pests, irrigation, and fertilizer use, allowing growers to manage the orchards more precisely.

At Aijia's smart factory, a high-pressure processing line applies about 600 megapascals of pressure for cold pasteurization, which the company says helps retain the fruit's nutritional value and distinctive flavor. Its Changshan Huyou juice is now available at Sam's Club and other retailers in China.

Working with several universities, Aijia has developed more than 30 processed products.

The company operates more than 133 hectares of standardized organic orchards, and works with growers across 140 Changshan Huyou-producing villages, helping 9,296 farming households increase their incomes.

The combined planting area of Changshan Huyou and Yuzu in the county has reached 8,067 hectares, with the total output value of the county's citrus industry chain reaching 5.5 billion yuan ($818.36 million) in the first half of this year.