Orders pour in for Yiling tangerines

By Ma Yuhan, Yichang International Communication Studio

On September 14, workers were busy harvesting, packing, and transporting tangerines at the Yichang Yanghong Farmer Trading orchard base.

After being washed, sorted, and packed, 60 tonnes of tangerines will be dispatched to Russia.

Since September 10, Yichang Yanghong Farmer Trading has purchased nearly 700 tonnes of locally grown extra-early maturing tangerines.

"We have already received 20,000 tonnes of orders from foreign buyers," said Zhang Yanghong, head of the company.

Other tangerine processing companies in Yiling District are also scooping up orders.

At Yichang Yiling Hong Ecological Agriculture Trading, tangerines are quickly processed on a smart sorting line and sold in both the domestic and foreign markets.

"We have received 180,000 tonnes of orders this year. Many of our exports go to Kazakhstan, Russia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam," said Wang Enzhen, head of the company.

The key to Yiling Tangerines' success lies in optimizing varieties and enhancing overall quality.

Farming research units in Yiling District have assessed more than 70 domestic and foreign varieties of tangerine, choosing 10 varieties that are particularly suitable for the local environment.

This year, Yiling District has set aside 21,253 hectares of land for tangerines, with production estimated to reach 820,500 tonnes.

Zhao Jingyi and Liu Yiming contributed the original Chinese story for this report.