Quince fruit paves path to prosperity
2023-08-11 19:08:20
By Tan Maolin, Yichang International Communication Studio
The medicinal quince fruit in Langping Town of Yichang has recently entered its harvest period. Langping Town cultivates 100,000 mu (about 6,700 hectares) of quince fruit, producing around 100,000 tons of fresh fruit and 8,000 tons of dried fruit each year, with an annual output value of 180 million yuan (US$26.3 million). Occupying 70 percent of the national market share, Langping Town has become known as the "hometown of Chinese medicinal quince fruit.”
Chinese quince fruit has been grown here for centuries, used both as raw material for Chinese medicine as well as standard consumption. The fruit had already begun being exported during the Ming and Qing dynasties to Southeast Asia and Africa.
In the early 2000s, Langping developed the quince industry which naturally fit its rocky and sandy geographical condition with an altitude of about 1,000 meters.
Eryan in Sheping Township is a remote and isolated village at high altitude, surrounded by many rocks and with a thin layer of soil. The government has guided the 30 families in the village to develop economic and ecological sound quince orchards. Now each can produce nearly 10 tons of medicinal quince each year, and the program has helped to lift the families in Eryan out of poverty.
In 2001, Xiang Xinnian, a local villager of Langping Town, grew medicinal quince on 10 mu of land as the Chinese government issued a policy encouraging farmers to switch from growing grains to trees and forests where the environment see fit. Before that, his family had inherited 20 old medicinal quince trees from ancestors. In 2012, he set up the Changyang Qilintou Quince Professional Cooperative, leading 142 families to cultivate medicinal quince, and the sales revenue reached 4.28 million yuan by 2022.
Medicinal quince has a long ripe cycle, usually taking four to five years to grow from a seedling to tree. In order to create more income, Langping further developed the quince industry chain, turning quince into different foods, liquor, drinks, including candied quince fruit, shredded quince, quince wine, quince vinegar and other deep-processed products.
The town has also developed a quince flower tourist scenic spot of 70,000 mu. The town has held 17 annual “Quince Festivals” and been able to produce more tourism income for the villagers.
Langping Town now has 35 farmer BnBs, serving more than 20,000 tourists per year and bringing in a tourism income of 20 million yuan.
The Guankouya Village of Langping Town has been named as one of China’s outstanding villages with a unique type of industrial output of more than 100 million yuan each year by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in 2022.
The medicinal quince fruit in Langping Town of Yichang has recently entered its harvest period. Langping Town cultivates 100,000 mu (about 6,700 hectares) of quince fruit, producing around 100,000 tons of fresh fruit and 8,000 tons of dried fruit each year, with an annual output value of 180 million yuan (US$26.3 million). Occupying 70 percent of the national market share, Langping Town has become known as the "hometown of Chinese medicinal quince fruit.”
Chinese quince fruit has been grown here for centuries, used both as raw material for Chinese medicine as well as standard consumption. The fruit had already begun being exported during the Ming and Qing dynasties to Southeast Asia and Africa.
In the early 2000s, Langping developed the quince industry which naturally fit its rocky and sandy geographical condition with an altitude of about 1,000 meters.
Eryan in Sheping Township is a remote and isolated village at high altitude, surrounded by many rocks and with a thin layer of soil. The government has guided the 30 families in the village to develop economic and ecological sound quince orchards. Now each can produce nearly 10 tons of medicinal quince each year, and the program has helped to lift the families in Eryan out of poverty.
In 2001, Xiang Xinnian, a local villager of Langping Town, grew medicinal quince on 10 mu of land as the Chinese government issued a policy encouraging farmers to switch from growing grains to trees and forests where the environment see fit. Before that, his family had inherited 20 old medicinal quince trees from ancestors. In 2012, he set up the Changyang Qilintou Quince Professional Cooperative, leading 142 families to cultivate medicinal quince, and the sales revenue reached 4.28 million yuan by 2022.
Medicinal quince has a long ripe cycle, usually taking four to five years to grow from a seedling to tree. In order to create more income, Langping further developed the quince industry chain, turning quince into different foods, liquor, drinks, including candied quince fruit, shredded quince, quince wine, quince vinegar and other deep-processed products.
The town has also developed a quince flower tourist scenic spot of 70,000 mu. The town has held 17 annual “Quince Festivals” and been able to produce more tourism income for the villagers.
Langping Town now has 35 farmer BnBs, serving more than 20,000 tourists per year and bringing in a tourism income of 20 million yuan.
The Guankouya Village of Langping Town has been named as one of China’s outstanding villages with a unique type of industrial output of more than 100 million yuan each year by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in 2022.
