Discover China: Kiwifruit cultivation bears sweet output in central China

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CHANGSHA, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Peng Qianming bends over, enters his kiwifruit orchard and checks if the swaying fruit leaves on the trellis are in good condition.

"I need to make sure the leaves aren't dry, or else the fruit berries will die," said Peng, 43.

Peng is a farmer in Changping Village, in the county of Yongshun, central China's Hunan Province. He has cultivated about 0.4 hectares of kiwifruit in his village.

"I have been growing kiwifruit for seven years," he said.

During the first two years, Peng grew the trees and left them for his parents to nurture, while he went to the eastern city of Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, where wages are higher. He returned home in 2015 to take care of his two sons and, at the same time, focus on his fruit cultivation.

According to Peng Kang, a village official, the kiwifruit industry has been fruitful for the village and more than 500 out of 756 families are engaged in growing the oval-sized, fuzzy berries. All impoverished villagers are expected to shake off poverty by the end of September.

The village is only a fragment of the larger picture. In the county of Yongshun, more than 7,467 hectares of kiwifruit have sprung up, official figures showed.

KIWIFRUIT BRINGING PROSPERITY

The weather and geological conditions in Yongshun are perfect for kiwifruit cultivation.

"The summer here is not too hot, and the big temperature variations are favorable for the growth of kiwifruit," said Peng Kang. "This means that the fruit berries here have high sugar content."

Meanwhile, Yongshun has selenium-rich soil, a subtropical monsoon climate and an average altitude of 700 meters, making kiwifruit one of the most valuable produce in the locality, the official said.

Kiwifruit trees bear fruits within three years of plantation, he added.

In 2019, total kiwifruit production reached 120,000 tonnes in Yongshun, with a production value of 290 million yuan (41.6 million U.S. dollars). The industry helped 34,159 local people increase income by an average of 2,100 yuan last year, according to official figures.

"Every hectare of kiwifruit plantation can produce about 37,500 kg of fruit berries, and I can make up to 90,000 yuan from each hectare of kiwifruit output," said Peng Qianming.

Peng was included in the poverty list in 2014 but cast off poverty in 2017. Last year, the farmer raked in about 40,000 yuan by working in his orchard.

"Here I can grow the kiwifruit at home and take care of my family," he said. "This is way better than in the past when I was working as a driver in Wenzhou and had to live far away from my family. Besides, the expense at home is much lower."

KIWIFRUIT INDUSTRY PROSPERS DESPITE HEADWINDS

However, the industry is not expanding without any stumbling blocks. Sometimes nature casts its spell.

At the beginning of this year, hailstones lashed the county on a big scale. The hailstones damaged the shoots of many kiwifruit trees, including those in Peng's farm.

"The kiwifruit trees depend on artificial pollination, but because the hailstones broke the shoots, the flowers could not blossom," Peng Qianming said. "I incurred a massive loss at that time."

Meanwhile, since June, continuous downpours have lashed large parts of southern China. The downpours brought way too much rainwater. Kiwifruit berries are usually not bothered by rain, but as water accumulated, their tree roots were soaked in water for a prolonged period, and as a result, the berries stopped growing.

"It rained for more than 20 days, and then cleared for two or three days," Peng said. "The rain resumed again and continued for another 20 days."

In order to control the loss, Peng went to the orchard to clean the water every day.

"I go to the orchard to check the ditches," he said. "If mud clogs the waterways, I dig the mud to make sure excess water can flow out."

These days, the downpours have ceased, but another problem looms large: the scorching heat.

"High temperatures are bad for kiwifruit, because the water evaporates and the tree leaves could dry up," Peng said.

The village helped local farmers install dripping irrigation equipment to avoid losses. The technology can improve irrigation efficiency and decrease labor work. So far, the irrigation facility has covered about 27 hectares of kiwifruit plantation in the village.

Meanwhile, with government assistance, the farmers have purchased insurances against natural disasters, as well as plant diseases and pests.

Peng's native village has a good transportation network as it sits next to a national highway, making fruit logistics easy.

The village has also jumped on the rural tourism bandwagon in recent years, touting fruit-picking, rural family homestays, swimming in springwater and sight-seeing around a local reservoir.

Many urbanites visit the village to savor its scenic countryside, and the increasing number of tourists boosted the zeal among villagers to grow kiwifruit.

"Almost everyone in the village has started growing kiwifruit," Peng said.

Peng plans to increase his plantation next year.

"Life is getting better these days," he said. "The taste of the kiwifruit industry is delightful." Enditem

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